Another Type of Alien, Book One: Self Discovery
by Rapidfyrez
Summary: The Autobots didn't know it, but Jack wasn't human either. He was the last member of a dead race called the Kryptonians. Of course Jack didn't know what he was when he first met the autobots either. Just that he wasn't human. But will his search for answers finally reveal who he is and why he's on Earth? Or attract new enemies. Completed, sequel in the works now.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The End of Krypton

**A/N: Warning the following chapter contains spoilers for the Man of Steel**

_Council Chambers, Krypton…_

Jor-El, head scientist of Krypton, stood before the council of Krypton, the supreme political power on Krypton. He was here to warn them of the impending doom of their planet.

"I warned you that using the core of our planet was a mistake. Now the core has become unstable and Krypton itself is doomed," he stated.

"And what would you have us do Jor-El?" One of the councilors, a female, asked. "The core was our only major resource."

Jor-El inwardly sighed before continuing. "Then look to the stars, like our ancestors did all those eons ago. Give me the codex, and I can assure the survival of our species."

There was a mix of murmuring and shocked gasps emerging from the council. "You ask to. much Jor-El. The codex contains the very future of the Kryptonian race. What if it was destroyed because of your plan?"

"It will not be. It shall be protected by one," he stated plainly.

"Who?" The head councilor, an old male, asked.

"My wife Lara and I have had a child, the first natural birth on Krypton in centuries. He shall become the new carrier of the codex. He will ensure our species' survival," Jor-El said.

The council was silent at this revelation. No Kryptonian had been born of natural means for millennia. There had never been a need for it, as the codex and genesis chambers provided the offspring needed to ensure the continued survival of the Kryptonians.

Before the council could figure what to say though, a large explosion shook the chamber, causing Jor-El to stumble slightly and the council to look around in confusion.

Suddenly, the council chambers blew open, and several Kryptonians entered the chamber, lead by Jor-El's friend, General Zod.

"Zod?" Jor-El asked approaching the general. "What is the meaning of this?"

Zod was a tall, well built Kryptonian with a clean shaven face and short black hair. "I have come to repair the damage done to our home and race by this political filth. I will wipe them out and ensure that only the purest bloodlines survive, so as to build a better Krypton."

"You shall pay for these crimes-" The female councilor began, but was cut off by a plasma blast from one of Zod's soldiers.

"Anyone else?" he asked. The room was silent in shock. "Good."

Zod turned to Jor-El. "My old friend, help me in my endeavor and together we can build a new, stronger Krypton, one not burdened by these rambling politicians"

Jor-El scowled at his friend. "By stronger do you mean slaughtering any bloodline, any family that you do not see as fit? No Zod, I would never help you in such an endeavor. We were friends only through our shared desire to save Krypton. You have abandoned these principles, and while I will respect the man you once were, you are dead to me."

Zod stared at his former friend, his eyes showing a list of emotions, pain, betrayal, sadness, and, most prevalent, anger. "Very well. Take him along with the rest of the council."

Two soldiers approached Jor-El on either side and began marching him out of the room. As they exited the room, a small drone floated in front of the three. It was an oval shaped object with a shifting set of metal in front that shifted and vibrated when it spoke.

"Jor-El?" It asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Out of the way drone," one of his guards ordered, his voice heavily warped through the mask he wore.

The drone turned slightly to Jor-El, who nodded slightly to it while mouthing a command. Jor-El clenched his eyes while the drone flashed a blinding light, causing the guards to yell in surprise. Before they could recover, Jor-El shattered the weak bindings place on him and wrestled a rifle out of one his captors' grip.

Once freed, he turned it back on his captor, firing a shot that burned right through his armor. By then, the other guard had recovered, his own weapon raised towards Jor-El. Before he could fire, Jor-El kicked him in the knee, causing the guard to double over in pain. A quick blow to the head with the stock of his rifle made sure he was out for the count.

He tossed the weapon to the side and made his way to the landing pad outside the council building.

"Contact Lara," he ordered, the drone following him. The drone dipped its form slightly before the metal on its screen shifted into a three dimensional representation of his beloved wife's face.

"Jor-El?" she asked. "What's going on out there? I've been hearing explosions and weapon fire."

"Zod has launched a coup on the council," Jor-El explained. "His forces are currently engaged with the council forces, but that's irrelevant. Tell me. Is the pod ready?"

Lara's face nodded. "Good," he said. "All that's left is to retrieve the codex."

"Be safe," she said as her face disappeared from the drone.

Jor-El smiled at his wife's concern as he finally exited the building only to freeze, if only for a moment, at the site before him. The red sun of Krypton cast an eerie red tinge on the massive battles before him as fighters dashed across the sky, firing shots that hit as often as they missed. Larger ships fired volleys of plasma at one another, causing their opposing force to explode in a force of indigo fire.

This wasn't important for Jor-El though. What mattered was getting the Codex.

His mount, a four winged, four legged Kryptonian flying steed, approached, and he quickly saddled the creature. It began buzzing its four insect like wings as it took off and headed to the birthing complex, the home to the codex.

Jor-El made certain to dodge any stray blaster fire as he made his way to the birthing areas. While no ship was targeting him, the odds of a stray shot hitting someone in war was always a possibility to take into account.

Eventually, he began to approach the birthing complex. It was a large network of interconnecting tubes, with large pools of water in each intersection, each pool containing hundreds of Kryptonians awaiting a chance at life. A chance that would, sadly, never come.

Finally he had his mount begin hovering over one of the many pools, and Jor-El shed his outer armor, revealing a plain black under armor with the crest of his bloodline emblazoned upon his chest. Looking from side to side to make sure no gunships approached, he jumped from his mount, swan-diving into the pool below.

He began swimming through the water as he came into the area where the unborn Kryptonians were kept until they had developed fully and were "birthed". Long, vine-like structures dangled from the ceiling down, small pods containing said unborn Kryptonians dotting each one, similar to a grapevine.

Multi-limbed caretakers, creatures genetically designed to care for the unborn infants swam from stalk to stalk, checking their condition and removing them from the stock if they had finished developing.

Jor-El ignored this miracle of science as he swam to an air pocket at the top of the chamber that contained his true goal, the Codex. His head broke the surface of the water, and he looked at the codex floating above him between three prongs.

The codex's appearance was not what one would expect. It appeared to be the ancient skull of a Kryptonian with ancient Kryptonian runes gleaming gold all across it. Swirls of golden dust were sucked off of it into the prongs, giving a completely new genetic code for a Kryptonian, so that no two would be the same.

This era was at an end though, and Jor-El reached out and grabbed the Codex, shutting the whole process down.

He swam back to the surface of the pool and slowly pulled himself out, breathing heavily as he did. As he stood, awaiting his mount's arrival, a single gunship flew up and flashed a spotlight on him.

"Jor-El," a voice said over a loud speaker. "By order of General Zod, you are to hand over the codex and face execution for your crimes against Krypton."

Jor-El glanced at the ship and glanced over the side of the pool, noticing another far below him. He looked back at the gunship and weighed his options. He jumped from the edge and spread his limbs to slow his fall into the water below, the gunship firing at his previous position on the pool.

Before Jor-El hit the water though, his mount grabbed him mid-air, swinging him back onto its saddle. The gunship took off in pursuit. Luckily, while the gunship was fast, Jor-El's mode of transportation was far smaller and more agile, and he used it to his advantage. He saw two interlocking support beams ahead with an opening just large enough for them to fit through.

His mount turned sideways and flew through just as a shot hit near one of its wings. The resulting explosion caused one of its wings to crack from the pressure wave. Though slowed, they had managed to lose their pursuer and limped towards Jor-El's home.

_Jor-El's home and Laboratory…_

His mount managed to get them to the landing pad and collapsed, its injuries too great for it to bear. He gave the beast a moment's thanks before entering his laboratory where the shuttle lay.

There his wife Lara stood next to the shuttle with their new born child, Kal-El. She held the new born delicately as Jor-El entered.

"Everything is ready?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she answered sadly.

Jor-El gave her a questioning look. "I know we agreed this was for the best," she said, on the verge of tears. "But now that he's here, I don't want to give him up."

"I know," he said in understanding.

"We'll never get to see him walk, hear him call us mother and father," she cried silently, a few tears rolling down her face.

Jor-El looked down at the infant who was his son. He was currently asleep, his breathing shallow and ragged, as it was for all Kryptonian infants. The atmosphere of Krypton was very unforgiving. The child had very little hair, but from what little he had, it was an onyx black color, offsetting his pale skin.

Lara looked up at her husband and he met her gaze. "You have chosen a suitable planet," she stated rather than asked.

"Yes," he said as a drone appeared, materializing a three-dimensional representation of the planet. "It is similar to Krypton, though its sun is younger. The radiation from it shall greatly enhance his abilities, as well as the planet's atmosphere and gravity. There is a dominant race there similar to Kryptonians, and seemingly intelligent," he explained to her.

Lara looked at the possible effects the planet would have on her child. She looked to Jor-El and handed Kal-El to him. He placed the infant in the open pod and placed the codex above him between three prongs, similar to the ones in the birthing chamber.

Suddenly a white blue light lit up the codex, and it began to disintegrate into two substances, a brownish black substance that assembled at a panel in front of the shuttle and a blue light that went directly into his son, though the sleeping infant seemed unaffected by the process.

When the process was finished, the codex was gone, but the black material had finished its formatting. A small black device appeared and Jor-El lifted it, examining it. It was a shiny black, pentagon shaped object, roughly 5 inches long. One side was smooth and flat with the family crest upon it. The other was uneven and jagged, in a form or pattern.

He placed it in a pentagon shaped hole on the pod.

"They won't accept him," Lara said, causing Jor-El to turn towards her. "They'll consider him a freak, make him an outcast."

Jor-El shook his head. "No," he whispered. "To them, he'll be a god. He will show them that they have no reason to fear him, and with time, they will accept him." With that, he pressed the object fully into the hole. Suddenly, three pieces of smooth white metal, folded together over their son. The craft was then lifted and pointed skyward, as the preparation for launch began.

A drone approached Jor-El. "Jor-El, several craft are approaching the fortress. Shall I take proper defensive measures?"

"Yes, and prepare my armor," he answered.

He stood up on a platform as his battle armor was placed on him. It was a creamy white color, similar to the color of the shuttle, and covered his torso, shoulders, biceps, lower arms, hands, and legs, as well as his waist. It was covered in intricate carvings, and had the family crest once more emblazoned on his chest.

He stood by his wife as she double checked all systems for the launch, his plasma weapon in hand, when a large explosion ripped through the labs entrance.

General Zod, accompanied by three guards entered the lab, weapons drawn. "End of the line Jor-El. Now, hand over the codex," he demanded.

Jor-El moved to stand in front of him. "You're too late Zod. Soon, the Codex will be out of your reach."

Zod looked at the pod behind Jor-El. "What have you done with it!?" he demanded.

"We have had a son Zod," Jor-El said. "The first natural born Kryptonian in centuries, and he shall lead our people on a new world. All of them, not just those you choose to allow to live."

Zod looked at him in anger. "Heresy!" he screamed. "Kill him, stop the pod from launching."

Before any of his soldiers could act, Jor-El shot three shots in quick succession, killing his soldiers with ease. Before he could bring it on Zod though, the General charged him, knocking the weapon from his hands as he tackled him. Jor-El kicked Zod back and delivered an uppercut to Zod. Zod dodged it, barely, but the sharp edges of Jor-El's suit cut the side of his face, leaving a long straight cut to the left of his left eye.

Zod tried punching from the right, but Jor-El blocked it and grabbed his arm, twisting it. Zod let out a cry of pain before punching Jor-El with his free hand in the face, causing him to release Zod. Zod then started barraging Jor-El with a flurry of punches, but he blocked or redirected each one. After parting two blows from Zod, leaving his guard open, Jor-El slammed his knee into his gut and then slammed his head into the general's face, knocking him to the ground.

The general lay on his side, on the ground stunned. A loud beeping suddenly lit the lab, signaling the pod was ready.

"Lara," Jor-El said, turning to his wife. "Launch the pod."

"No, don't Lara," Zod said, causing her to stop her hand right above the launch sequence. "If you do you doom Krypton, our race."

"Don't listen to him Lara. You know why this must be done," Jor-El said.

"You'll never see your son again. He'll never know who you were," Zod said.

Lara looked from Jor-El to Zod, tears forming on her eyes. She made eye contact with Jor-El, who simply nodded at her. She returned her gaze to Zod and closed her eyes. Without looking, she pressed the launch button, and the ship took off, its supports breaking off.

"NOOO!" Zod screamed, standing suddenly and allowing a long blade to emerge from his armored gauntlet. Before anyone could react, he moved forward and stabbed Jor-El right between his armor's plates.

Utter silence filled the room. Zod took a step back, looking at Jor-El and then his own hands in horror. Jor-El turned to Lara, a blank look on his face before falling on his back.

"Jor-El!" she cried as she ran to be by his side. She checked his vitals, anything for a sign that he was alive. Nothing. Her husband was dead. Tears streamed down her face as she silently sobbed over her husband's corpse.

Zod looked at her. "Where is it going?!" he demanded from her.

Lara looked up at him, hatred burning in her eyes. "Somewhere where your twisted influence will never reach him Zod." She practically spat his name out.

Zod stormed out of the lab, infuriated. All his hard work, all his men's lives lost, for nothing. He looked at his second in command. "Shoot that pod down," he declared, and she nodded, relaying his command.

A gunship took off after it, quickly gaining speed on the small pod. As it came within weapons range though, a large blast ripped through it, causing the debris to rain on Zod and his men. He looked up in shock and saw dozens of massive council warships begin to appear.

With its pursuer destroyed, a bright light began to surround the pod, and in a brilliant flash of light, disappeared.

A spotlight fell upon him and his men. "General Zod," a voice commanded. "By order of the council, you are under arrest."

_Later…_

Zod and his fellow conspirators stood before the council and Lara, chained and standing over cryo-pods.

"General Zod," the head councilor began. "For your crimes against Krypton and the murder of head scientist Jor-El, we sentence you and your conspirators to 300 cycles in the phantom zone. Do you have any final words?"

Zod ignored the councilor and glared at Lara. "Just this," he said. "I swear to you Lara, that when I am free, regardless of where your son may be, I will find him, and I will make him suffer for what you and Jor-El have done to Krypton. I swear it!" With that said, the cryo-pods quickly covered the criminals and lifted off into the prison ship.

Once they entered the ship, it took off, heading into a large portal that expanded before it. As the ship slowly entered, the portal shank, until only the device that supported the portal remained. And with that, General Zod was gone.

_At the house of the El's…_

Lara watched the pod slowly close over her husband's body armor. In a way, she was glad he had died defending their son. She did not want him to see the condition Krypton had fallen into.

As if reminding her, the entire house shook violently as another tremor shook it. Lara slowly walked out on the upper balcony, a service drone following close behind. Lara looked over the now twisted landscape of her home planet.

Massive fissures were opening everywhere, and huge spouts of lava were firing out of the ground with a massive intensity. The normally red landscape of Krypton had turned hellish, and she could feel the heat from where she stood.

"Lara," the drone began. "Shall I begin searching for a shelter for you?" it asked.

"No," she answered quietly. "It won't matter. Soon, nowhere on Krypton will be safe."

As if to emphasize her point, a massive wall of fire arose from the ground, heading towards the El estates. Lara closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable. She only hoped that whatever happened, her son would find a family on this new world, and that they would give him the love and care she could not.

Her last thought though, was a simple one. _'I shall see you soon Jor-El, my love.'_ And in a brilliant flash of fire, she and the El manor were gone.

_Orbiting Krypton…_

From an orbital view, the landscape of Krypton appeared war torn and hellish. Oceans boiled, mountains collapsed, and massive spouts of fire radiated all over the planet, and it only grew worse as time passed.

Millions were dying every second, unable to escape that which they had brought on themselves. Then the dying planet seemed to enter its death throes.

Massive fissures, the largest yet, cracked open. Entire chunks of the planet collapsed, and in one final throe, the once peaceful world detonated in a massive explosion of fire and brimstone, leaving only a barren asteroid field in its place.

_Sol System…_

Near Saturn, sixth planet from the sun, a sudden bright white light flashed into existence. It lasted for several moments before fading, revealing a pod of alien make. It was a creamy white color with a bulbous white nose cone on the front.

A cylinder descended from this with several bulbous projections, each containing thrusters that transported the ship across the solar system. Carved onto the front, was a pentagon facing downwards, with a large S in the middle.

There was but a single passenger in the pod, a small infant, who carried the hopeful future of the now dead Kryptonians. This infant was Kal-El, son of Jor-El, the first naturally born Kryptonian in over several hundred years.

The pod blasted past Saturn, past Jupiter, and past Mars. None of these planets were its target. Instead, it was targeting a small blue and green planet known as Earth, home to humanity, a race that was both incredibly similar but greatly different from the Kryptonian heading towards their home world.

As the pod entered the thick nutrient rich atmosphere of Earth (Despite its inhabitants' efforts to make it otherwise.) It began to glow a bright orange as it heated up. To any casual observer, it would have appeared as a shooting star.

However, this star was getting lower and lower, until a suitable location was found for landing on the outskirts of a small Nevada town known as Jasper, Nevada. With a fiery crash it landed, leaving a deep gash in the land as it came to a stop, awaiting discovery, by anyone or any group.

_6 years later, Jasper Elementary…_

"Can anyone tell me what year the Declaration of Independence was signed?" the first grade teacher, Mrs. Norman, asked. She was a woman in her early 40's wearing a white blouse and black skirt that came down below her knees. Her auburn hair was tied in a bun and she wore a pair of glasses on the very edge of her nose.

She scanned the silent class, looking for any hands. Nothing. "Anyone?" she asked. "Anyone at all?" Again, nothing.

"Fine," she smirked. "I guess I'll have to choose one of you at random." And she walked up and down the desks looking for a poor soul to choose. Her eyes fell on a young boy in the middle seat of the middle row. What was his name? Oh right, Jackson Darby. The small boy's head was twitching around and he jerked his head from side to in an almost terrified motion.

Of course the teacher didn't know why. Only Jack did. To him, he was seeing frightening images of his fellow classmates as nothing but muscle and bones.

"Jack," Mrs. Norman called, the boy flinching when she called him. The voice had been a normal tone, not too loud or too quiet for a normal human. For Jack though, she might as well have screamed it in his ear. The poor boy looked around in terror, covering his ears with his small hands as they were assaulted with a barrage of horrifically loud noises.

"Jack," Mrs. Norman called again, causing the boy to look at her. He saw a tall muscled skeleton staring at him, and he started panting violently.

Mrs. Norman noticed. "Jackson," she asked, "are you-" Before she could finish asking what was wrong with the boy he bolted from his desk, gaining the attention of the rest of his classmates.

He ran out of the class towards a janitor's closet and hid inside while the teacher called him. She and several students came out.

"Jack," she called. "Come out."

"No!" he answered firmly.

The teacher gripped the doorknob to begin opening it, but Jack looked up at the doorknob. Suddenly his eyes lit up red, and two beams of red light hit the door knob, causing it to heat drastically and Mrs. Norman to let go with a yelp.

By now, a small crowd had formed around the door, whispering about the student who locked himself away. They thought he couldn't hear them. They were wrong.

_"What a freak"_

_"I hear he's not allowed to play with other kids."_

_"I heard he's not even human."_

Jack clasped his hands over his ears and clenched his eyes even tighter, whimpering slightly.

"I've called his mother," a teacher's aide informed Mrs. Norman. "She'll be here any minute."

"Did you hear that Jack? Your mother will be here soon," Mrs. Norman called, receiving only a small whimper from the closet.

_"Momma's boy."_

_"What a baby."_

_"Loser."_

_"Freak."_

"Jack?" he heard his mother call as she came down the hall. The crowd parted, allowing the raven haired woman to kneel by the door. "Jack, what's the matter sweetheart?"

"I-it's t-too big" he stammered.

"What is honey?" she asked.

"The world. It's too much," he answered, his small voice cracking.

"It's okay Jack. Just focus on me, okay?" she said. "Focus on the sound of my voice. Use it as an island to make the world smaller."

Jack concentrated on what his mom said. Slowly, but surely, the voices and weird imagery began to fade, and he began to see normally again. He light out a small sob of relief, and shakily stood, walking to the door and opening it.

He looked at his mom for a moment before embracing her, his small frame wracked with sobs.

"I-I'm s-s-s-sorry," he stammered.

June motioned silently for the crowd to disperse. "It's okay honey," she cooed quietly while rubbing his back comfortingly. "You didn't do anything wrong."

_6 years later…_

Jack sat on the small, barely crowded bus as it sped towards his home, Jasper, Nevada. His class had taken a field trip to the Colorado River to look at what kind of life lived near rivers. Jack had enjoyed the activity as his… abilities had allowed him to find and catch several animals his classmates couldn't.

While his teachers didn't know this (or any classmate for that matter), they had been impressed by his finds. His classmates…were less than impressed, especially that jerk Vince.

Speaking of which…"Hey Jack, pretty lame field trip right?" he said from a seat a row back.

Jack ignored him, he knew Vince was just trying to set him up for a joke or prank of some kind. "Hey asswipe," he said again, lightly slapping him on the shoulder. "I'm talking to you."

"Leave him alone Vince," a girl named Sierra said across the aisle.

"I'm just trying to ask the little jerk what he thought of th-" He was cut off by the sound of a loud pop and the sudden skidding of the bus. The bus's tire had popped while they were crossing a bridge over a part of the river, and they began to skid out of control. The bus plowed right through the barrier into the icy river below.

The moment it hit the water, the fluid began to quickly fill the cabin of the bus, and the students began to panic, screaming in fear. Jack was the only one who remained somewhat calm, heading to the back of the bus and kicking open the back door. After it opened, he jumped into the river, disappearing from view.

None of the others noticed this, but tried opening the other emergency exits. When they failed to open, the students' panic grew even worse, and they began to bang and scream on the windows as the bus sank lower and lower. Eventually only a small pocket of air remained.

As the students began to lose hope, the bus suddenly began to lift upwards and move towards the shore. Slowly, the water drained, and the bus was pushed onto shore. Sierra was taking deep breathes before looking back and, to her shock, saw Jack standing there, soaked to the bone, his black hair sticking to his head.

He made eye contact with Sierra before turning and jumping into the water, disappearing from view. He reappeared next to the bus, dragging the bully Vince out of the water. Vince was lying unconscious on the ground, and Jack sat next to him, as he and the other bus riders waited for help to arrive.

_Later that day…_

"My daughter saw what Jack did when the bus went over the bridge Mrs. Darby," Sierra's mother insisted. After the rescue team arrived, the children had been returned to their respective families. Unfortunately for Jack and his family, Sierra had seen what he'd done and told her folks what happened.

"Yes, I'm sure people saw a lot of things in the panic," June said calmly as she poured drinks for everyone.

Sierra's mother continued to argue with June about what Sierra had seen while Jack sat outside on the stairs. He heard the door swing open and saw his dad, Robert Darby, standing there, silently, a blank look on his face.

Jack looked away. "I didn't have a choice Dad," he said.

"You always have a choice, son," Robert said as he sat next to him.

"What was I supposed to do? Let them die?" Jack asked. Silence. Jack turned to his dad, an amazed look on his face.

"Maybe," Robert said quietly, a solemn look on his face. "You heard how Sierra's mom is taking it. If people knew about you, what you could do, it would change the entire way we view the world, our universe."

Jack looked back down at his hands. "I know dad, but, it's not my fault. I don't know why this stuff is happening to me."

He looked back at his dad. "Dad, do you know why this is happening to me?"

Robert looked at his son quietly for several moments. "Son, there's something I need to show you," he said.

With that, he stood up and motioned for Jack to follow him. The preteen followed his dad to the backyard in front of the old shed. The shed was about 20x20 feet and had rarely seen use. Jack honestly didn't even know why they hadn't torn it down. Every time he asked, Dad had just said it was too important to tear down.

He opened the door and motioned for Jack to follow him in. When they were both inside, Robert closed the door behind them and removed an old dusty rug from the floor, revealing a hidden door. Jack had never seen it before. How had he not noticed it?

Robert opened it and climbed down an old ladder while Jack followed him. When he looked at the hidden underground room, he saw a large object covered in a large sheet dominating it. There was a small table covered in clutter to the side, but the large object was what grabbed his attention.

Robert grabbed the sheet and pulled it off, revealing a large, bulbous spaceship. Jack looked at it in awe, running his hands over the starship.

"This is what we found you in 12 years ago," his father explained.

Jack looked at him with an astonished look. "W-what?" he asked.

"We found you, twelve years ago, in that spaceship." Robert explained. "When we brought it and you back, we were convinced a bunch of men in black suits would show up to take it and you away. They never showed."

Jack just looked more confused. "You're the answer son," his dad said. "The answer to if there is intelligent life out there in the universe."

Realization dawned on Jacks face. His parents, they weren't his real parents; heck his real parents probably weren't even human. Another realization hit him, he wasn't human. He was an alien.

He looked at the man he had once believed to be his father, tears starting to form in his eyes. Suddenly he reached out and hugged him, tears rolling down his face. "Can't I just go back to being your son?" he half asked half sobbed.

"You are my son," Robert said whilst calmly stroking his suns head trying to calm him. "But I have to believe that somewhere out there is a person who is your real father that has a different name for you, and that he sent you here for a reason."

Jack looked up at Robert. "And it's up to you to find out, not now, but soon. You owe it to yourself to understand why they sent you here. There's one more thing," Robert said pulling out of his adopted son's embrace.

He pulled a small box off the table and opened it up, taking a small black object out and handing to Jack. It was about 5 inches long, a shiny black, and on the smooth end was a large S that dominated the shape of the Pentagon. The other end was ragged and uneven with a small bead necklace looping through a small natural hole.

"That was with you when we found you," Robert said as Jack examined the object. "I took it to several different metallurgists. They all told me the same thing. It's made of a metal not on the periodic table."

Jack looked at his father in surprise. "In other words, alien." Robert kneeled to his son's level. "Jack, I just want you to know, even though you might not be from this world, you will always be my son, as well as you mother's. Don't you ever forget that."

Jack hugged his dad. "I promise I won't dad."

**A/N: So here it is the first chapter in what I am calling for now Boy of Steel. If you guys have a better name, please tell me, please. Anyway I don't think I did these scenes justice. While not word for word accurate with the original script as is expected, I still feel like I didn't capture how sad or heartwarming these scenes were in the film. You guys let me know what you think though. Autobots will be in the next chapter. I will also provide a list of the powers Jack has discovered, if he discovers one in a chapter, so we don't get too many inconsistencies. Oh and let me know if I should focus on this story or Son of Primus. I hope you enjoyed it, and please remember to review with plot ideas, critiques or just to let me know if you think I should keep working on this story.**

**Jacks powers so far:**

**X-Ray vision**

**Heat Vision**

**Enhanced hearing**

**Super Strength**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Cybertronians Meet Kryptonians

_K.O Burger, 4 years after Jack discovered what he was…_

Jack ran a hand through his hair as he exited the K.O Burger. It had been another boring day full of jerks who seemed to revel in annoying the crap out of him. It wasn't even their insults that annoyed him. It was the fact that he couldn't do anything to them in return except insult them.

It would be easy, too. All he would need to do is concentrate, and his heat vision would detonate their car. Or he could bust out of the building and fling their car a few hundred feet. That would work too, but he knew that he couldn't do that.

He had made a promise to his dad before he died, that he would keep his powers a secret. He wasn't sure if his dad was right about people rejecting him if they knew he wasn't human, but he wasn't willing to put him or his mom at risk to find out.

Jack sighed and flipped open his phone, dialing his mom's number. "Hey Mom, it's Jack," he said. "Just got off work. No, I'm not going to the dance. Remember what happened the last time I went to a school event? They're still fixing the wall." As his mom talked, his attention was caught by one of the coolest motorcycles he'd ever seen.

It was a custom make sport motorcycle that was a deep shining blue and had several pink highlights on it.

"I love you," he whispered, catching his mom off guard over the phone. "Oh, sorry Mom, I meant I love you too. Bye." And he closed the phone, approaching the bike.

While Jack didn't actually need a bike (Last he checked he could run close to 200 MPH), having one would be a heck of a lot nicer than walking or biking everywhere. After all, a kid running faster than a car down the freeway was bound to turn heads.

Plus he enjoyed the speed and having a motorcycle that could move this fast would be a good middle ground for him. He could move fast without making front page news.

"Where have you been all my life?" he asked straddling the bike. The moment he sat on it though, something felt off. He felt something pulsing in it, like a heartbeat, but motorcycles didn't have heartbeats. They were machines built by humans.

So why did this bike almost feel alive? Jack squinted his eyes, allowing the layers of the bike to start fading due to his X-Ray vision. Once past the upper layers, the machinery hidden underneath astounded him. Whatever this bike was, it was definitely not made by humans.

Before Jack could get off the bike though, it suddenly jerked backwards and revved its engine, shooting out of the parking lot.

"What the heck?" Jack yelled as the bike took off down the street.

"Hold on kid," a feminine voice said.

"What?" Jack asked as the bike flew down the street, turning sharply onto the onramp. "Who said that?"

"I did," the voice answered again. Jack realized it had come from the bike he was riding. Jack gawked at the bike underneath him, when a sudden crash and engine revving caused him to look behind him.

In pursuit were three large purple muscle cars, plowing through any civilian that got in the way.

"Friends of yours?" Jack asked.

"Hardly," the bike answered. Jack looked back at the cars pursuing them as the bike turned onto an on ramp. He realized that whatever the cars wanted, they were going to hurt innocent people to get it.

Jack made a choice then and there, deciding he would try to help shake the pursuers the best he could without revealing his powers. He used his X-Ray vision on the vehicles again and used his enhanced sight to look at the cars for any sign of weakness. He saw that there seemed to be a large energy source pulsing in the hood, and fired a quick burst of heat vision at the farthest car.

It wasn't enough to destroy the energy source, but it caused the car to swerve and crash into the side of the wall, shaking them of a pursuer. Jack turned forward again and saw they were coming to a bridge over a canal.

"Hold on tight kid," the bike warned.

"What are you-" Jack was cut off as the bike suddenly veered off the bridge into the canal. They landed with a loud thud and rolled forward before skidding to a halt.

Jack shakily got off the bike and fell to his knees.

"Whoa," he heard a small voice say and looked up to see the small form of Rafael Esquivel and his RC car standing in front of a large water pipe.

Raf was a decent kid who was ahead several grades due to his remarkable intelligence and was considered a child prodigy by many. Unfortunately, his age difference and intelligence tended to cause kids older and younger than him to shun him.

Jack never really talked to the kid but held some sympathy for him. He definitely knew what it was like to be different from kids in school.

All this passed through Jack's mind in seconds as he stood up and rushed to the kid, just in time. Two of the three cars jumped off the bridge as well and landed in front of the bike, skidding to face it.

"Get back," Jack said, motioning for Raf to get into the pipe before following him, using his body as a shield. The three vehicles seemed to stare each other down, neither one making a move.

Suddenly, something happened to the purple cars. They seemed to break apart into moving pieces of metal, before reassembling into two 30 foot tall robots. They were identical and had silver chest plates and three fingered claws. Their heads were silver as well with no sign of a mouth and a single red visor cutting across where their eyes would normally be.

Jack and Raf stared at the two metal giants in shock before Jack narrowed his eyes, searching for possible weaknesses in the robots. It appeared that the visors and joints were the weakest points, and, if need be, he could blind them. He wasn't sure what they were made of or how strong they were, so getting in a fist fight with one didn't seem like the best of ideas. He would be limited to his heat vision and speed.

The bike mirrored the cars and began shifting its metal. However the form that emerged was greatly different from the two machine. For one it appeared to be a she, as the body was very feminine in design. She also only stood about 20 feet tall. However the most obvious feature (Not counting the body) was the fact that she had a face comprised of smooth silvery white metal with two pinkish blue eyes and blue lips, or what appeared to be lips.

Jack looked her over with his X-ray vision as well and was shocked by what he saw. The femme, unlike the two machines, appeared to be alive. There was a large glowing object in the center of her chest, where a heart would be located, similar to the power source in the two purple machines. Unlike the machines though, it glowed far brighter and pulsed consistently like a heart. It was almost as if the femme-bot was alive.

Jack's secret analysis was interrupted when the two larger machines' arms transformed into what looked like large blasters and began firing on the femme. The femme, in turn, changed her own arms into two blasters, returning fire on the drones. She managed to dodge the fire for the most part when one of the stray rounds nicked her side, causing her to grasp it in pain.

Jack fought the urge to rush out and help her. She seemed to be on their side, but he had no idea who or what this femme was, and didn't want to reveal what he was to her or Raf unless the boy was put in direct danger.

The two drones approached the femme and casually began kicking her around before a yellow and black muscle car approached, ramming the drones and buying some space for the femme.

Then it too changed shape into a large broad shouldered mech with a pair of door wings and a speaker where his mouth should have been. Jack's quick scan over revealed that he too had a "heart" like the femme.

The yellow mech brought his fists up and adopted a boxing position, of all things. The femme nodded her thanks before reassuming her own fighting stance, and the two engaged the drones. They were too busy to notice the third one that Jack had stunned earlier, silently climbing down the bridge and making its way behind them.

It slowly approached the two, blasters drawn, when it heard a loud crunching noise and looked down to see Raf's RC car in pieces on the floor. Raf gulped back a yelp as Jack pushed him farther back into the tunnel, hoping the drone hadn't seen them.

Jack's luck didn't hold out though, and the drone kneeled forward arming a blaster and aiming down the pipe towards him and Raf. Jack was confident that he could survive the blast but was unsure if Raf could. He was caught in a dilemma: Hope one of the two bots rescued them or use his powers to save him and Raf.

The blaster on the drone's arm began to charge, and Jack realized the other two were too preoccupied to help them.

"Stand behind me," Jack ordered Raf, who looked at Jack in confusion. "Now," he ordered. Raf ducked behind Jack and Jack stared at the blaster, analyzing it for a weakness. He saw what looked like a large source of energy and squinted his eyes.

Jack had used his heat vision sparingly, as it was one of his most dangerous abilities. As such, he had little practice using it in anything larger than short bursts, but this time, two ruby red beams burst from his eyes and blasted through the drones weapon, causing it to detonate in a large explosion.

The drone staggered back, its arm a smoking stump, and before it could attempt to go after the two, Jack used his heat vision again on the roof of the pipe to seal it off.

"Come on, let's go," Jack said as he started down the pipe.

"Wait!" Raf called. Jack stopped, turning to him. "How did you do that?" the boy asked.

Jack looked away and continued walking. "Let's get out of here first, and then I'll explain everything okay?" Raf nodded hesitantly and followed the older boy.

* * *

_Back at the canal…_

Arcee delivered another kick to the Con, causing it to stumble back, when she heard a large explosion. She turned and saw the third Con she thought she had lost stumble back, his right servo a charred stump. The Con looked at Arcee and Bumblebee and raised an arm to fire, when a loud horn rang out.

A large, green SUV had appeared and rammed the con, offlining it, and transformed into the massive form of Bulkhead, who slammed his two fists together. "Who else wants some?" he asked the two remaining Cons. The two looked at each other before transforming and driving off.

"Thanks for the assist Bulk," Arcee said as she turned to the green bot.

"Eh, don't mention it," he said. "Shame I didn't get to pound any Cons though."

_"Where are the humans?" _Bumblebee beeped questioningly.

"Last I saw, they were taking cover in that sewage pipe," Arcee answered. "Though I wonder…What caused the Con's weapon to backfire?" she asked no one in particular.

"It's Con tech. What do you expect?" Bulkhead said as he pulled the rubble out from the pipe. "No sign of the humans. Probably ran when the Con tried shooting them."

Arcee pinched the bridge of her "nose" before speaking. "Great, at least they weren't harmed. Optimus would put us on curb side duty for a month."

Bulkhead shivered. "Yeah, that'd be awful."

Arcee put a servo to her com. "Arcee to base, we need a bridge."

_"Copy that Arcee," _Ratchet answered. _"Locking onto your coordinates now."_ A large green vortex suddenly opened and the three Autobots walked through to inform their leader of the events that had just occurred, Bulkhead dragging the offline con behind him.

* * *

_Outside Jasper…_

After about 30 minutes of wandering, Jack had finally managed to find their way out of the sewer. It would have been faster if it hadn't been for the fact that the pipes had bits of lead mixed into their alloy, making it nearly impossible to see the quickest way out. Jack had found he hated the material years ago, as it prevented his X-ray vision from working.

The journey through the sewer had nearly caused him to break into a panic attack, as he hated not being able to see through walls at will, but he knew that if he started hyper-ventilating, he would freak out Raf, which would have only made the situation worse, so he kept going, for the poor boy's sake.

Now, they were standing outside the pipes in the general direction of Jasper, about two miles away.

"Okay, I followed you out," Raf said. "Now are you going to explain how you shot lasers out of your eyes?" he asked.

Jack winced. "Still not going to drop that?" he asked hopefully, though he already knew the answer.

Raf shook his head and Jack sighed. "Fine," he said, "but you have to swear not to tell anyone, not even your family, okay?"

Raf nodded. "Not good enough," Jack said. "I need you to say it. Say you swear not to tell anyone what you saw in there or what I'm about to tell you."

"I swear," Raf said.

Jack nodded his thanks before taking a deep breath. "Okay," he began. "This might be hard to believe, but I'm not human." Jack paused, eyeing Raf, expecting him to start screaming or panicking. He didn't though, and Jack gave a mental sigh of relief.

"If you're not human," Raf asked, "then what are you?"

Jack looked at the boy sadly. "I don't know," he admitted. "All I know is that my actual parents sent me to Earth when I was a baby. All I have from them is this." He reached for the necklace that he carried and considered to be an heirloom and handed it to Raf.

"What is it?" The young human asked.

"I don't know," Jack answered. "Before my dad died, he told me he took it to some metallurgist, who said that it's not made from any known metals."

Raf handed Jack the necklace back, and he slipped it back over his head. "So that whole laser vision thing back there, is that all you can do?" he asked.

"No, I also have enhanced hearing, X-ray vision, super-speed and strength, as well as near invulnerability as near as I can tell," Jack said.

Raf looked at him in shock. "How do you know you're invulnerable?"

"When I was 9, I was helping my dad use a buzz saw to cut some wood for a small house project," Jack explained. "I accidently tripped on it while it was active but got up, completely unharmed. The saw's edge had been completely destroyed though," Jack explained.

Raf gaped at him before speaking. "That's… awesome," he said. "How strong are you?"

Jack shrugged, walked over to a large boulder over twice his size, and lifted it with one hand, holding it above his head, before lightly tossing it about 30 feet. It landed with a large thud, and shook the ground slightly.

"I honestly don't know," Jack answered, trying not to laugh at the boy's shocked expression. "I haven't found a limit yet, though it takes more effort the larger an object gets, of course."

"So, why not tell anyone?" Raf asked.

Jack sighed. "Two reasons. The first is that I'm afraid that if people knew what I was, they would try to hunt me and my mother down, to try and kill me or dissect me. The second is that I do it out of respect of my father's memory. He died believing the world wasn't ready to know about me, and I'm going to respect his wishes."

"Oh," Raf said. "I promise I won't tell anyone, but I have to ask, aren't you at all curious about where you came from?"

"Of course I am," Jack said. "I wonder every day why I was sent here and why my parents gave me up, but I have to take care of my mom. I just don't have the time to look for any alien artifacts." With another sigh Jack sat on the ground.

Raf seemed to digest all the information Jack had given to him for several minutes while Jack sat on the ground, letting his hearing expand and take in all the sounds in the general area. It was very close to meditating and, when done in quiet places, helped the young alien clear his head.

His current thoughts were of what these new robots could mean. The one he had talked to briefly, the femme, seemed at least non-threatening, but did that mean that all of them were trustworthy? On the one hand, Jack hoped he wouldn't see the bots again. They could be associated with the government or military and that's the last thing he wanted. On the other hand, they could be alien and know of his people. He could ask them if they knew where he came from, what happened to his people.

Jacks meditation was interrupted when Raf began standing. "Jack," he said.

"Yeah?"

"I'll help you," the young boy said.

Jack stood and faced the boy faster than any human, causing a slight breeze to stir. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean," Raf explained. "I'll help you search for who your people are."

Jack cocked an eyebrow at Raf. "How?" he asked.

"I'm a bit of a computer nerd," he said. "I can search websites or hack government files for you to see if I find anything. School rarely slows me down, and I don't have a job, so I could cover a lot of ground faster than you can."

Jack eyed the human suspiciously with a hard gaze. "And why would you help me, a super powered alien?"

Raf shrugged. "I always wondered if there was intelligent life out there and thought it would be cool to meet it. Plus I think you and I have a lot in common. We're both outcasts," Raf held out his hand. "So how about it? I help you find out who you are and, in return, you show me the rest of your powers,and any tech you find."

Jack' gaze softened as he looked at Raf's hand, before grasping it. "You've got a deal."

Jack smiled lightly. "But if you tell anyone about any of this, including the robots, I will hunt you down," he joked.

Raf raised his hands in mock surrender. "Got it, don't betray the guy with super strength."

"Good, now let's get you home," Jack said as he began leading the boy to his house. Then it hit Jack. For the first time in his entire life, he actually had someone he could call a friend.

* * *

_The next day Jasper High…_

Jack exited the high school as the bell rang, grateful that the day was over and that for once he didn't have to work his shift at the K.O Burger. He looked around at the crowd of students milling around and saw Raf sitting under a tree. The boy saw him and waved for him to come on over.

Jack walked down the stairs, pass a girl with pink pigtails and a braid sitting on a stone column drawing something. When he looked to his right, he almost froze. The same bike from yesterday, color scheme and all, was parked right at the front of the school.

Jack immediately picked up the pace towards Raf, motioning for him to stand. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"One of the robots," he whispered. "It followed me. Come on." And he started dragging the boy to the street, when the yellow muscle car pulled in front of them, its passenger door opened for them. Several beeps and whirs emanated from the car, though Jack wasn't sure what they were supposed to mean.

"Does he want us to get in?" Jack asked to no one in particular.

"No, just me," Raf answered. "Your ride's over there," he said, pointing to the motorcycle.

"Wait, you could understand that?" The younger boy nodded. "How?" Jack asked.

"I don't know." Raf shrugged. "I just did."

And with that he got into the car. "Raf wait!" Jack called as the car sped away. He heard a rumbling noise, saw the motorcycle exiting the parking lot, and started walking away.

Looking around, he ducked into an alleyway. Unfortunately for him, the motorcycle followed him before he could really take off, cutting him off, and spinning a full 180 degreea in front of him.

"Calm down," the bike said. "I just want to talk."

"Don't you mean you and your new friend?" Jack said, motioning to the rider in all leather.

Suddenly, the rider disappeared. "Kid, there's a lot you don't understand," the voice declared.

"Hey, I get it," Jack said, turning around to walk away. "First rule of robot fight club is don't talk about robot fight club. What you need to understand is that I don't want to get involved in some sort of war between a bunch of crazy transforming vehicles."

Jack heard the sound of shifting metal and turned to see the motorcycle had transformed into her femme form, her 20 foot frame dominating most of the alley way. _'So much for getting away that way,' _he thought.

"Look, Jack is it?" the femme asked. "You and your family's personal safety is at risk, which is exactly why Optimus has requested your presence."

"What, Optimus who?" the boy asked in confusion.

The femme leaned, closer causing Jack to stumble back slightly. "You may be in danger," she continued. "Because you are one of the few who has ever seen us."

"Dude!" a voice called, causing Jack to turn and see the girl from earlier. "What are you waiting for? Go with!"

The two looked at the girl, stunned, before the femme summed the situation up in a single word. "Scrap."

_Later, on the road…_

"WOO HOO!" the girl screamed from behind him on the motorcycle.

"And why did we have to bring her!?" Jack asked as they sped towards a large mesa.

"Rules!" the femme growled.

As they approached the Mesa, a large hidden entrance opened, revealing a tunnel that lead inside. Slowly, the yellow muscle car and motorcycle, as well as their human and alien companions, entered the tunnel. They followed the tunnel until it exited into a large open hangar like area.

* * *

"Whoa," all three said simultaneously.

A large platform stood about 30 feet up off to the side, and there was a large elevator leading to the top of what Jack assumed had once been a silo.

But that wasn't the most amazing part. There were two other robots, each taller than the yellow car and motorcycle. One was a large red and white robot that looked to be the equivalent of a medic, while the other was a towering green robot. Like the other two, they had glowing blue optics.

The girl, who Jack just remembered as Miko, jumped off the bike, while he carefully got off. The red and white one approached them. "Arcee, I thought there were two," he said.

"Haven't you heard?" the femme called Arcee said. "Humans multiply." Jack shot Arcee a quick glare before returning his attention to the two larger bots.

"Hi, I'm Raf," the ever friendly boy said to the bots.

"I'm Miko," Miko said as she ran up to the large green bot. "Who are you?" she asked, causing the large green mech to step back, as if he were afraid to step on her.

"Bulkhead," He answered.

Miko gasped. "Are you a car? I bet you're a truck, a monster truck. Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever used a wrecking ball as a punching bag?" She continued to list off questions, while poor Bulkhead just stared at the girl, terrified.

Raf finally asked the million dollar question. "So, if you guys are robots, who made you?"

The red and white mech snorted. "Puuhlease."

Suddenly, they heard massive, booming footsteps behind him, causing all of the humans to flinch and Jack to cover his ears for a moment. When they turned to look at the new arrival, they were stunned. A massive mech, standing taller than even Bulkhead, with a blue and silver lower body and a red upper body, as well as a blue helm stood before them.

This was obviously the bot in charge, Optimus. The odd thing was, for Jack anyway, that when he used his X-ray vision on him, he saw a second pulsing light, equally as bright as the other. Maybe the bot would explain what it was.

"We are autonomous robotic organism from the planet Cybertron," Optimus began. "Also known as Autobots."

Before Jack realized what he was saying, the words were out of his mouth. "So, you guys are aliens? Are there any others out there?"

He immediately shut his mouth, expecting everyone to start questioning him or tell him to be quiet. Optimus simply seemed amused and saddened by the question. "In our travels across the stars, we have encountered many forms of intelligent life. Humanity is the first we have seen, though, to be of such a small stature."

"Why are you here?" Raf asked.

"To protect your planet," Optimus answered. "From the Decepticons."

"The jokers who tried to bump us off the road last night," Arcee explained.

"Okay," Jack said. "Why are they here?" he asked.

Optimus kneeled forward until his faceplate was a few feet from the children. "A fair question Jack," he said, while Jack tried to hide his surprise at the Bot knowing his name. "In part, they are here because our planet is uninhabitable, ravaged by millennia of civil war."

"Why were you fighting a war?" Raf asked.

"Foremost," Optimus answered. "For control over our world's energy supply, Energon, the fuel and life blood of Autobots and Decepticons alike. The combat was fierce and endured for millennia. In the beginning, I fought alongside one who I considered a brother." A sad look crossed the Bot's faceplates. "But in war, ideals can become corrupted, and thus it was that Megatron lost his way."

Miko faked a yawn. "Is there gonna be a quiz?" she asked.

Jack gave her a disapproving look before returning his attention back to Optimus. "So, what does Megatron or any of this have to do with us?" he asked.

Optimus's gaze narrowed. "Megatron has not been seen or heard from in over 5 years," Optimus explained. "But if his return is imminent, as I fear, it could be catastrophic."

"And since you now know of our existence," Optimus said. "I fear that, as of last night, the Decepticons know of yours as well."

Jack nodded. "Got it, spot any Cons, we call you guys." He looked around nervously. He had just noted the base had lead shielding, and the claustrophobia would start setting in if he wasn't careful.

"Can we go now?" he asked.

"Are you _insane_!?" Miko cried. "I'm living a dream here in Botswana! And I will not allow you or _anyone else_ to shatter it!"

"It is best that you three remain under our watch," Optimus said. "At least until we can determine our enemy's intentions."

"Optimus," the white and red mech said. "With all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here as anywhere!"

"Children!?" Jack growled. Oh, if the Bot only knew what he was capable of. Jack shook his head.

_'No, Jack, not here, not now,'_ he thought.

"They have no protective shell!" Ratchet hissed. "If they get underfoot, they will go…_squish_!"

He stomped his pede for emphasis, making the children jump, and Jack clenched his eyes from the noise. Looks like he'd have to focus on refining his senses even more. Too much noise.

"Then for the time being, Ratchet," Optimus countered. "We must watch where we step."

Suddenly a loud alarm sounded, causing all assembled organics to clench their ears. _'Damn it!'_ Jack thought. _'What's with all the noise around here!?'_

"What is that!?" Jack asked.

Bumblebee beeped something and Raf translated. "Proximity alarm," he said.

"It's Agent Fowler," Ratchet grumbled as a video feed of the top of the base showed a slightly overweight African-American man getting out of a government chopper.

"Who's Agent Fowler?" Jack asked "I-I thought _we_ were the only humans who knew about you guys."

"Special Agent Fowler is our government designated liaison to the outside world," Optimus explained.

Jack gulped. "G-government?" he whispered shakily. He felt a small tugging on his sleeve and looked at Raf.

_'It'll be fine.' _The boy mouthed silently. Jack nodded his thanks.

"Agent Fowler tends to visit only when there are…_issues_," Optimus continued. "It may be best if you do not meet him at this time."

Jack let out a sigh of relief as Ratchet lead them to a wall to hide behind as the elevator opened, and Fowler stormed out.

"Seven wrecks, thirty-four fender benders," Fowler yelled, "a three hour traffic jam, and of particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make and a black and yellow muscle car."

Bee and Arcee ignored his glare and looked around innocently.

"So, anything you care to get off your tin chest, _Prime_?" Fowler demanded. Jack clenched his fists in anger. The man barely said two full sentences, and he already didn't trust him. Great.

Optimus gave Fowler a considerate look before speaking. "We have the situation under control, Agent Fowler," he said.

"They're back…aren't they?" Fowler asked.

"If you are referring to the Decepticons," Optimus said. "I have doubts that they ever left. Your planet is much too valuable."

Jack held back a laugh. If only Prime or the others knew.

"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon," Fowler said.

Prime's gears clenched, and there was the sound of venting coming from him. If Jack had to guess, Prime was fighting desperately to keep patient.

"Hear me, Agent Fowler," Prime said. "We are your best, possibly your only, chance against the Decepticon threat."

"Says you," Fowler hissed. Jack gripped the corner of the wall they were hiding behind. He felt Raf tap him and the boy pointed to the wall. Jack realized he had been holding too tight, and that the wall was starting to crumble from his grip. He let go and gave Raf a thankful look.

"Hey, fleshy!" Bulkhead yelled. "Did _anyone_ get splattered on that freeway?"

Fowler glared at him as Bulkhead picked up one of Ratchet's tools.

"Team Prime knows when to use force," he said, as he started to crush it "And how much to use." The tool shattered under his grip.

"Awesome," Miko whispered. Jack shook his head at the girl.

"Bulkhead!" Ratchet cried. "I _needed_ that!" Miko held back a laugh, while Jack smiled slightly and Raf giggled. It seemed that Bee and Arcee were trying to do the same as well.

"Enough," Prime ordered, turning back to Fowler. "Military involvement will only result in catastrophe," he said. "Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler. I, however, _cannot_."

Fowler looked at him. "Then do us both a favor and handle this, Prime," he said as he turned to the elevator. "_Under_ the radar."

He got into the elevator and pressed the button. "Or _I_ will." he said as the door shut with a note of finality.

"Pretty big bearings…" Bulkhead said. "…For a human."

"Agent Fowler is concerned for his world, Bulkhead," Optimus said, "As he should be."

"Can we come out now?" Miko asked. Prime nodded and the three came out of hiding, walking up to the top of the platform.

Before anyone could say anything though, a loud beep from the terminal caught their attention. "Blasted Earth tech!" Ratchet groaned. "Cliffjumper's signal popped back online."

"Who's Cliffjumper?" Miko asked as the other Bots looked up hopefully.

"How is that possible?" Optimus asked, ignoring Miko.

"It isn't," Ratchet replied. He gestured at the screen in disgust. "Another _bug_," he spat. "The system's _chock_ full of them!"

"If there's any chance Cliff's alive…" Arcee started, her voice slightly cracking at the end. No human would have noticed, but Jack was anything but. Whoever Cliffjumper is, or was, it was pretty obvious he was important to her.

"Ratchet, prepare the med bay," Optimus ordered, as his battle mask closed shut. "We may need it."

Optimus looked at the children. "Remain with Ratchet," Optimus commanded as he approached a long empty tunnel.

Miko gave a disappointed whine, pouting, as did Ratchet, causing Jack to laugh at the medic's expense.

Suddenly the tunnel lit up with a massive, swirling green vortex, and the Autobots approached it. "Autobots," Optimus called. "Transform and roll out." And the four transformed to vehicle mode, driving into the vortex, each one disappearing in a flash of light. Then the portal closed.

"W-what just happened?" Jack asked.

"I transported them to the designated coordinates via the ground bridge," Ratchet stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The three humans looked at him questioningly. "What's a ground bridge?" Raf asked.

Ratchet sighed and turned back to the computer. "Scaled down version of spacebridge technology," he grumbled.

"Since we don't currently possess the means, or the Energon, required for intergalactic travel…" Ratchet explained.

"You're stuck here," Jack finished, "On Earth."

_'Just like me,' _he thought.

"With the likes of you, yes," Ratchet growled, facing the kids again. "But _I _constructed the ground bridge to enable us to travel from here to _anywhere_ on your planet."

"Whoa!" Raf exclaimed. "Does it work for humans?"

"Naturally," Ratchet stated with a hint of pride.

"You mean I could just shoot on over and visit my folks in Tokyo?" Miko asked.

"Within moments," Ratchet said. An evil grin suddenly formed on his faceplates. "In fact," Ratchet said, optics gleaming, "allow me to send you there immediately, all three of you!"

"Watch it, Ratchet," Jack growled intimidatingly. Ratchet took a step back in surprise at Jack's display before returning to the terminal, grumbling to himself.

* * *

_Later…_

"What _is_this anyway?" Miko asked, poking at a piece of machinery.

"Broken," Ratchet said absentmindedly as he walked by. "Don't touch." With his back turned towards her, Miko tried to touch the machine again.

"Don't touch that either," he said, causing the Japanese girl to pout.

"Is there anything in here we _can_ touch?" Jack asked.

Ratchet glared at Jack before turning back to a terminal and tapped a button. Suddenly, an error message popped up. "Blasted Earth tech," he mumbled.

"How come you guys are using human computers?" Raf asked innocently from his position on the balcony with Jack.

"It certainly isn't by _choice_," Ratchet growled. "It was handed down from the previous tenants when we inherited this former missile silo. I make modifications as I see fit," he explained

"What kinda stuff do you store on them?" Jack asked curiously.

"Normally, we use them to run our scanners, but from time to time we store unique energy signatures to investigate later. Normally, though, nothing turns up except Energon or the odd relic," Ratchet stated, trying to fix the error screen. Instead, about a half dozen more popped up on screen. The medic snarled angrily.

Raf looked from the grumbling medic to Jack, who nodded, and back to Ratchet. "I think I can fix that," he said as he removed a thin laptop from his backpack.

"Really," Ratchet said sarcastically as Raf plugged his laptop into the computer mainframe. "You know this is _complex_ technology, don't you? It's not a child's toy."

Raf looked up from his laptop. "Now try," he said Ratchet eyed him suspiciously before pressing the same key. Suddenly, all the error messages disappeared, and the screen flashed green.

Ratchet looked stunned. "How did you?" he began, but Jack interrupted him

"Raf's a bit of a child prodigy. He's only twelve, and he's taking junior level classes in high school," Jack explained, causing the boy to blush at the compliment.

Ratchet just sort of nodded and went back to his work.

Jack sat next to Raf. "Find anything else?" he whispered.

Raf nodded. "Several files but they're encrypted. It'll take a few days or weeks to completely decrypt them."

"Thanks Raf," Jack said as he stood back up.

_"Ratchet!"_ Optimus shouted over the com. _"Bridge us back. Use the arrival coordinates! NOW!"_

A blaze of green, blue, and silver flashed to life in the large tunnel again. Bee and Bulk sped through the wide open bridge, Arcee following close behind. Engines revved violently as Optimus shot into base, transforming mid-air and landing fist down as a large blast was cut off by the bridge's closing.

"Whoa," the kids breathed.

"Cutting it a bit close," Ratchet humphed. "How about Cliffjumper?"

Arcee and the others bowed there helms, and Jack put two and two together. Whoever Cliffjumper was, they hadn't been able to rescue him. Miko started to run up and ask what happened, but Jack grabbed her shoulder. The girl looked back him to say something, but was cut off by the cold glare he gave her. The Bots were mourning. Now wasn't the time for Miko to start asking questions.

"Arcee," Optimus asked with concern. "What did you see?"

"Not Cliff," she muttered, crossing her arms. "At least, not anymore."

"What?" Ratchet asked.

"He was mutated, _butchered_…" her voice cracked, this time for everyone to hear. "Like something from those 'Con experiments during the war." Suddenly, her legs gave out and her optics dimmed as Arcee fell to the floor.

Bumblebee rushed to her side, but she shooed him away. "I'm fine," she muttered. "Just woozy."

"Robots who get dizzy?" Miko asked.

"Robots with emotion," Raf said.

"Robots…who can _die_," Jack said with eerie finality.

Ratchet ran his scanner over Arcee. It turned red right over her left servo. There was a smoking, dark purple liquid on it. "What is this?" Ratchet whispered.

"Don't know," Arcee said, holding her helm. "Cliff was covered in it, _leaking_it."

Ratchet scraped the liquid off of Arcee and held it up for all to see. Jack looked at the substance and felt lightheaded all of a sudden. He took a small step back before it passed, and he shook himself. _'Weird,' _he thought.

"Go take a decontamination bath," Ratchet said, softly. "Now."

Bee helped her up and helped her into a large glass chamber. Jack was, at least, glad another Bot wouldn't die today. He didn't know them well, but he couldn't bear to watch people get hurt, regardless of who they were. The last time he had chosen not to help someone in some way…Jack shook his head. No need to relive that memory.

Jack checked his phone for the time and almost had a heart attack. It was almost 10:00 at night. If he didn't get home, he was going to be grounded for a weak.

"Uh, Optimus," Jack said, holding his cell phone out. "I hate to bug, but…no bars."

"A security precaution," he answered. "The silo walls isolate all radio waves."

Jack nodded. "Well, if I don't call my mom, like _now,_ I'm pretty sure the cops will be out looking for me."

Optimus looked at the teen, confused. "Have you broken a law?" he asked.

"Curfew," Jack said. "It's after 10 pm,"

"I better get home too," Raf said. "Or I'll be grounded for a year!"

"Earth customs," Optimus said. "I hadn't considered, but the issue of your safety remains."

Optimus turned to Bulkhead. "Bulkhead, accompany Miko home," he ordered, causing the girl to gasp.

"Awesome," she interrupted. "My host parents are gonna freak." Jack gave her a disapproving look that said "really?".

"And maintain covert surveillance," he finished. "In vehicle form,"

"Curbside duty," Bulk said, nodding. "Got it,"

"Awww," Miko whined.

Optimus turned to Bee. "Bumblebee, you'll watch over Raf." The Bot's optics seemed to light up at this, and he beeped happily at Raf.

"Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"Busy!" he said dismissively as Arcee came out of the decontamination chamber.

"Arcee," Optimus said, giving her no real chance to back out. "You'll accompany Jack."

Her gears hinged up. "Ooh, still _dizzy_," she said, obviously not thrilled about babysitting the teen.

"Your fine," Ratchet said from his work station waving a servo not even turning to her, "Says your physician."

Arcee groaned and collapsed into her alt form. The three children got into or on their new guardians, who sped out of base.

* * *

_Darby Residence Jasper, Nevada…_

The ride to Jack's house had been… awkward to say the least. Jack and Arcee hadn't said a word to each other. Jack didn't know what to say, and Arcee was still upset over Cliffjumper.

The two pulled into the garage, and Jack got off "Arcee," he started "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for your loss."

"What could you possibly know about loss?" she growled.

"What, you think you're the only one with problems?!" he yelled.

Arcee transformed to robot mode and glared at him. "I don't think girl problems count."

Jack gaped at her. She didn't just do that. She had no idea what she had just done. It took all of Jack's concentration to not throw her out the garage right then and there. He simply glared at her and stormed off, slamming the garage door behind him. He heard a slight clink and looked to see the door handle in his hand.

_'Not again,'_ he thought, and he set it on a tray and walked to his room. His room was about what you'd expect from a teenager's room. Bed in one corner, computer in the other, and various posters adorning the wall. There was one key difference though: In the corner of the room was what appeared to be a punching bag.

What it actually was was a large slab of heavily dented metal he had installed a few years ago to vent his frustration. There were various dents, scratches, and scorch marks adorning the slab, and Jack began to wail on it. The reason for the cloth was to muffle the sounds of the impact, so that his neighbors wouldn't hear it.

Jack kept punching and kicking the slab, watching as it easily bent and twisted under his constant blows. Eventually, he grew tired of it and stopped, though the metal was pretty twisted now. Jack sat on his bed, head in his hands as he continued to mull over the short exchange in the garage.

"Jack!" a voice yelled, causing him to sit bolt upright. It was his Mom's voice. Oh this wouldn't be fun to explain.

**A/N: Man I feel so bad guys. I was supposed to post this chapter yesterday, but I just kept adding and adding to it. I hope you guys can forgive me. Now, a lot of you have been asking about Son of Primus and when I'll be updating. Well I've decided to work on this story a little more before going back to it. Once I release chapter five for Another Type of Alien (Props to my beta reader KHGiggle for the name), then I'll begin alternating between it and Son of Primus. Sorry if you wanted me to update sooner, but this story is a lot of fun to write, even more than Son of Primus. As for my other stories, I may update them occasionally, but it will be more spontaneous and random. Anyway, hope you guys liked it, and remember to review to let me know what you think. PM me for plot based questions or ideas. Ciao.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Nemesis

_Darby Residence, the next day…_

Jack's alarm blared and he rolled over groggily. After shutting it off, he took a moment to recount the events that had occurred yesterday: The meeting with the Autobots, their mission to rescue their fallen comrade, his ride home with Arcee, their argument, and then explaining the new motorcycle to mom.

Surprisingly, that last one had been relatively easy. June had been perfectly okay with the motorcycle, as long as Jack wore a helmet and used it instead of running home.

No, the real problem that Jack remembered from yesterday was the exchange between him and Arcee. Now that Jack had calmed down, he realized he may have been a little immature with Arcee. He should at least explain to her why he understood her pain and why he was so mad yesterday.

He got up and dressed, wearing his usual grey/white long sleeve shirt, followed by his Darker gray over shirt as well as a pair of blue jeans and sneakers. After quickly brushing his teeth (With some heat vision assisted dental work), he walked into the Kitchen.

He found a note from his mom saying she wouldn't be home until about midnight. He shrugged and walked out to the garage, almost surprised to see Arcee there, still in motorcycle form.

"Isn't it uncomfortable sleeping like that?" he asked.

Arcee turned her tire to face him. "It's as easy as breathing for a Cybertronian," she said. "You ready to go to base?" she asked in an uninterested voice.

"Wait, Arcee," Jack said. "I think I owe you an apology for last night…" he said.

"What?" Arcee asked.

"It was immature and I shouldn't have acted like that, especially after you lost a friend. I just get upset when people assume I don't have problems, especially after my dad died," Jack explained

Arcee was silent for a few moments, before speaking. "Your dad died?"

Jack nodded sadly. "Two years ago, he died right in front of me. Everyone told me there wasn't anything I could do, but looking back, I realized there was a lot I could have done. If I'd acted sooner or something, he'd still be alive!" Jack stopped as he realized he was starting to raise his voice,and that tears were starting to form.

"Sorry," he said as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "It's been awhile since I talked with anyone about it."

Arcee was silent for several moments. "Hey, it's alright Jack. I understand. I may have been a little harsh last night too. How about we just forget that whole thing happened last night and start over?"

Jack smiled. "Yeah sounds like a good idea."

"Now, are you ready to go to base?" Arcee asked, her voice a little more chipper than before.

Jack hopped on. "Oh yeah, let's go."

The garage opened and Arcee drove out, Jack actually wearing a helmet for once. It was a standard silver color and had belonged to his dad.

They drove down the suburbs quietly. Compared to the ride the night before, the atmosphere was far more enjoyable for the two. Jack was also glad he apologized to Arcee. He felt so much better, and it seemed Arcee was, if not opening up to him, had stopped acting like he was a total waste of time.

"Hey Jack, hold on," she ordered.

"What why? Cons?" he asked, suddenly on high alert.

Arcee laughed for the first time he met her. "No, I was wondering if you'd actually enjoy the ride if you weren't being chased by cons. Of course, that's only if you're man enough," she teased.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Bring it on."

Arcee gunned it, hitting 130 easy, Jack laughing gleefully like a mad man the whole time.

_Autobot HQ…_

The sound of three large powerful engines filled the base as Jack, Raf, and Miko rode into base with their respective guardian.

All three hopped off or exited their guardian, all talking excitedly about how amazing their respective guardian was.

Bulkhead stood up and moaned, opening his chest compartment and pulling out an electric guitar "Uh, Miko, I think this is yours," he said as he handed the girl her guitar.

"Sorry," she said. "Must've left it in the backseat and forgot about it."

Jack gave her an astonished look. "You brought a guitar to a secret alien base?"

"It's Miko, Jack. What do you expect?" Raf said.

"Hey, I'm right here you know," she shouted indignantly.

The loud thunderous sounds of Optimus Prime's footsteps once again grabbed the attention of the children. "Autobots," he began.

"Rollout?" Arcee answered, not at all attempting to hide the hopefulness in her voice.

Optimus looked over the three and their guardians. "Remain here. Ratchet you shall accompany me."

"With all due respect Optimus," Arcee argued. "Ratchet hasn't seen any real combat since the war. Wouldn't one of us be of better use?"

"My pistons may be rusty," Ratchet said, "but my hearing is as sharp as ever."

Optimus shook his head at the exchange before answering Arcee. "As we are dealing with dark energon, Ratchet's medical expertise shall be more useful in the field. Besides," he continued, "it is a simple scouting mission. All should run smoothly."

Arcee gave him a pleading look to bring her instead, but Optimus ignored it. "As we will be outside of communication range for some time, you shall be in charge Arcee."

"No fair," Miko complained. "You're the biggest, you should be in charge," she said pointing an accusing finger at Bulkhead.

"Miko," Jack said, hand over his forehead, "the person in charge should be the most experienced, not the biggest or strongest."

Miko looked at him "You're just saying that because Optimus put your girlfriend in charge."

"I-I-I-W-what!?" he stuttered, his face turning rose red. "W-what on Earth are you talking about Miko?"

Miko just smiled mischievously. "Oh, nothing," she said as she walked off.

Luckily for poor Jack, none of the Bots had heard their little exchange, but Jack heard the rest of theirs. "Optimus, playing bodyguard is one thing, babysitting is another."

"Seriously?" Jack said, though he was ignored.

Optimus ignored Arcee's pleas and turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, open a ground bridge." And with that, the two were gone.

After they left, Jack looked at the remaining bots. "So now what?" he asked.

Arcee rolled her optics. "I'm going on patrol. Bee you're with me."

Bee started to argue, but Arcee shot him a glare that immediately shut him up.

"But Optimus told us to stay in the base," Bulkhead argued.

"When you're in charge, you get to make the shots," she countered. "Bulkhead you're in charge."

"Doesn't that mean he can order her to stay in base?" Raf asked.

"You want to tell her that, be my guest," Jack said.

"Me? You're the superhuman," he whispered back.

Bulkhead turned back to the kids with a face Jack was all too familiar with. It was the face of a person who was given a responsibility they had no idea how to handle.

"So," he said, rubbing his servos together. "What's on the activity list?"

The screeching sound of an amp being plugged in was his answer, and everyone except Miko covered their ears to protect them from the noise.

_'I need to start bringing earplugs,' _Jack thought as Miko strummed her electric guitar.

"How about band practice?" she said excitedly.

"We're not a band though," Raf stated, with his ears still covered.

"Come on Raf, why so anti-social?" she asked. "You have to play some sort of instrument."

"Ugh…" Raf started, looking to Jack for help, though the boy was trying not to laugh at his predicament. "I play the keyboard some."

"Laptop and samples, good!" she praised.

"Jack?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a music guy," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Miko looked at him, disappointed. "Whatever, just, cover yourself in fake blood and jump around screaming," she said.

"Yeah, no," Jack said. "I'm just going to go sit up there," he said, pointing to the higher floor.

Miko shrugged. "Whatever, Bulkhead you got percussions, and just like that…Bam!...We're a band. Now, we just gotta learn the songs."

Miko started playing some sort of heavy metal that once again caused everyone to cover their ears. Jack groaned. With the number of noises around, he was going to start going deaf soon.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, the base's green lights flashing.

"Whoa, Miko cut, cut," Bulkhead said, and, to everyone's relief, she stopped.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Proximity alert, its Fowler again," he groaned. "Quick, everyone get behind me. He can't know about you guys yet, not like this." Raf and Miko quickly took cover behind his leg, with Bulkhead lowering Jack behind him as well.

The elevator doors opened and Fowler stormed out. "Prime!" he shouted, as that seemed to be the only greeting he knew.

"Agent Fowler!" Bulkhead said in mock surprise. "Prime isn't here right now. It's just me," he said innocently.

Fowler gave him a suspicious look. "Well...where did they go? Wait. Don't tell me. They're out pancaking a mini-mall!" he snapped. "Now, I don't know what language you'Bots speak on your planet, but Prime promised he would handle the Decepticons! And blowing a crater in the middle of nowhere is **not** what the word handle means in English, so you tell Prime…"

Agent Fowler stopped himself as he saw the wire from Miko's amp leading up to Bulkhead's pede. "Since when did the Bots go electric?" he asked.

A panicked look crossed Bulkhead's face. Jack looked through Bulkhead at Fowler. Much as he didn't want to, he would have to reveal himself to Fowler, but he wasn't going to let his friends fall with him. He motioned for Raf and Miko to stay put, and stepped out from behind Bulkhead's pede.

Fowler looked at Jack in shock. "Hi," he said calmly. On the inside though, he was absolutely freaking out at what was possibly going to happen.

Fowler looked from Jack to Bulkhead, to Jack, and to Bulkhead again before speaking. "Contact with a civilian!" he shouted, causing Jack and Bulkhead to flinch. "Team Prime has really gone off the books this time. Wait don't tell me; you're running a volunteer center."

Bulkhead looked about ready to crush Fowler, so Jack intervened. "Sir," Jack said. "Don't blame the Bots for bringing me here. I kind of stumbled onto them during a fight, and they brought me here to keep me safe from the Cons."

Fowler looked at Jack before sighing. "Okay, come with me. I'm taking you into federal custody."

"Wait. What?" Jack had to resist the urge to scream. This was his worst nightmare realized, someone taking him away. Only it was for hanging around giant sentient machines, not for his powers.

"Relax son," Fowler said. "We're just gonna take you to my superiors, find out what exactly you saw and have been told, and then send you on your merry way."

Jack eyed the Agent suspiciously. "And if they don't like what they hear?"

"Don't worry. Unless you're working for Cons, you'll be fine. Now, come on," Fowler ordered.

Bulkhead looked like he was going to protest, but Jack shook his head no. If this kept the others safe and unknown from the government, so be it. If all else failed, Jack could always knock Fowler out, not like any human could take him in a fair fight.

Jack followed the Agent into the elevator. Slowly, the door closed, and he saw Raf and Miko peeking out from behind Bulkhead, waving goodbye. Jack waved goodbye as well, though more subtly as he didn't need Fowler seeing the kids.

The doors to the elevator closed and, slowly but surely, took them up to Fowler's waiting helicopter.

"Get on in son," Fowler said, motioning to the chopper.

"Don't call me son," Jack muttered under his breath. Only two people could call him that. Fowler was not one of them. Fowler got in the pilot's seat and took off. As they left base behind, Jack looked out the window, wondering if he'd ever see them again.

_Later, over a canyon in the chopper…_

"This is Special Agent William Fowler, requesting immediate assistance." Nothing but static. "Damn," he cursed.

Jack looked in worry at the agent. Almost immediately after they had left base, a Decepticon drone had attacked them, and now, it seemed it was jamming their communications as well.

"All right you overgrown turkey," Fowler growled. "Let's see how you like this."

"What are you do-" Before Jack could finish asking, Fowler pulled up on the joystick, causing them to loop over the drone. Once he leveled out, he unleashed a barrage of bullets. Each one found their mark but failed to actually do any damage.

Suddenly, the drone flipped back around, and latched onto the cockpit. It released a series of tendrils, one of which shocked Fowler and Jack.

All Jack felt was a slight tingling sensation, but Fowler was knocked cold. With him out, the chopper began to spin out of control, and the drone continued to attack Jack. Jack was wondering what he was going to do when it him. _'Fowler's out cold, which means I don't have to hold back.'_

With that in mind, Jack grabbed the drone's tendrils and pulled. There was a slight resistance until he heard the telltale 'pop, pop, pop' and the tendrils snapped off. Before the drone could break off, Jack looked directly at it, and released a stream of heat vision at it, melting the core and causing it to break off, falling apart as it did.

Realizing the chopper was toast, Jack ripped the harness off himself and Fowler with ease and flung the agent over his shoulder. He used his heat vision to cut the cockpit off and, holding Fowler, jumped to the ground below. He landed with a loud thud, leaving a small crater.

He set Fowler down and looked up at the chopper as it slammed into the ground, detonating in a ball of fire. Jack looked at the unconscious Fowler, when he heard the telltale noise of a ground bridge opening. He looked towards the noise, only to see over a dozen Vehicon drones exit the ground bridge and surround him and Fowler, blasters drawn.

Jack knew he might have been able to take them on alone, might have, but he wasn't alone. He had agent Fowler with him, and as big a jerk as he was, Jack couldn't let him get hurt. He looked towards the ground bridge again and saw another figure emerge. It was a silver bot ( At least he thought it was a bot. The heels and lanky form made it difficult to tell.) with red highlights and wings on the back.

"I would recommend surrendering human," the Con said. "If you surrender, I promise as second-in-command of the Decepticons that you and your colleague will be unharmed."

Second in command meant he had to be Starscream, whom he had heard about from the Autobots as being a backstabber.

He glared at Starscream. "And how do I know you won't just kill us anyway?"

Starscream smirked. "Foolish human, if I'd wanted you dead, you'd be dead already."

Jack looked at the unconscious form of Agent Fowler and back to Starscream. "Fine, I surrender."

"As if you had any other alternative," Starscream said.

_'Just you wait Starscream,' _Jack thought. _'You won't be able to hold me forever.'_

_The Nemesis…_

"Tell me where the Autobot base is now child!" Starscream screeched as he stabbed Jack with another Energon prod.

"Hey, that one actually kinda tickled that time," he mocked. Scream had been going at it for a good hour, believing that since Jack was younger, he would break easier than Fowler. What Scream didn't know was that Jack barely felt more than a tingle from the prod. Of course, Scream had tried other torture tools, but those all either failed to work or broke against his skin. The result was Jack was completely unharmed, though his shirt was filled with smoking holes.

Starscream growled at the boy. "Fine, I will go and torture your fellow compatriot instead. Keep in mind you'll have no one but yourself to blame if he were to… expire."

Jack shot a hard glare at Starscream, before a smile broke his face. "You're pretty funny Starscream. I promise when I break out of here, I'll kill you last."

Starscream left the torture chamber with a 'hmph', leaving two Vehicon drones, two days away from reformatting, to guard him. Jack looked around the chamber for any visible sign of a camera. To his relief, he could see through Cybertronian metal as easily as human steel and saw no sign of hidden cameras or bugs anywhere.

Jack's size had also forced the Cons to wrap him in human chains, of all things. Where or why they had them was beyond him, but this he knew he could break, and thanks to Starscream's little torture test, he was pretty sure of his limits now.

So, having decided that he'd waited enough, Jack flexed his arms and ripped the chains like tissue paper, falling to the floor as he did. The two Vehicons whirled to face Jack in surprise, not expecting what they believed to be a human to break steel. Jack looked up at the Cons and smiled before taking off.

Faster than a human eye could travel, Jack had rushed up to one of the Vehicon's legs and punched a hole through the ankle guard, ripping out a handful of wires. The Vehicon fell to one knee, its damaged leg, leaking Energon. The other tried to grab Jack, but only succeeded in ripping off the shredded remains of his shirts.

"Those were my favorite shirts!" he yelled. The Vehicon aimed its blaster at him, only for Jack to decapitate it with a quick blast from his heat vision. The body fell on its back, and its head rolled across the floor.

"Well that was easy," Jack said to himself as he approached the door. He examined it for a moment, waiting to see if it'd open. When it didn't, he sighed and pulled his fist back. When he delivered the punch, a large dent appeared, but the door remained intact. He punched it again, and this time, the metal cracked.

Jack smiled and grabbed the edges of the ruined metal, peeling it back. He turned back to the edges and decided that Megatron didn't need to know about a super human that could easily destroy his troops.

Using his heat vision, he cut a larger hole in the door, watching as it clattered to the floor. Now it looked like an Autobot had blasted their way in. Satisfied, Jack took off, trying to find Agent Fowler.

Since there were no humans around, he didn't have to jog through and instead became a blur as he raced through the halls. To his surprise, Fowler wasn't as close to his cell as he'd thought. Seems they had kept the two far apart for when the Bots came to rescue them.

Jack heard voices and came to a stop by a corner. They sounded familiar, and he tried to remember whose voices they were when it hit him. It was Raf and Miko! But what where they doing on a Decepticon ship?

Jack turned the corner to see them jogging through the corridors. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"Well Miko, followed Bulkhead through the ground bridge when he came to rescue you and Fowler, and, well, we kinda got separated from him," Raf explained. "Right Miko?" he said, jabbing the girl in the side.

The girl was just gawking at Jack, making the poor teen very self conscious. "Uh Miko?" Jack asked. "You okay?"

Miko blinked and shook herself before speaking. "I, uh, yeah, I just…Dude, you're ripped!" she said, gesturing to Jack's muscular form. It was true. Even though he appeared very lanky, Jack was actually very toned, even though he rarely ever worked out. Miko had apparently noticed this, since Jack had lost his shirts fighting off the Cons.

Jack rolled his eyes at her. "You can gawk later. Right now, we need to find Fowler and get out of here," he said, motioning for the two to follow.

They walked, crouched, down the hall, and Jack mentally cursed the fact that he had to slow down, but, of course, he would have to stay and protect his friends. He wouldn't let them down if he could help it.

"Alright," he whispered as he looked around a corner. "There's two Cons in the hall. I'll distract them, and while I do, you guys run across to the other side. Got it?" Raf nodded, but Miko was gawking.

"Miko," he shouted in a whisper. "I swear to God if you don't stop staring at me, I well throw you off the ship got it?" She nodded. "Good, now, on the count of three. One… two…" Before he could get to three there was the sound of a scuffle and blaster fire.

Then a familiar voice rang out. "Where is the human boy, you fragging slag heap?!" Arcee yelled at the cowering Vehicon while Bumblebee covered her.

Jack chuckled as he stood up and motioned for the two to follow him. "Arcee, I'm touched," Jack joked, catching the femme's attention.

"Jack!" she yelled in relief, getting off the con and approaching the boy. "You okay? Cons didn't hurt you?"

"Arcee, are you actually concerned?" he asked.

Arcee crossed her arms. "I, ugh, no, I just didn't want Optimus finding out you got captured by Decepticons on my watch."

Jack looked down, chuckling. "Sure, Arcee, sure." He looked back up at the femme with a serious look. "But in all seriousness, did you guys find Fowler?" he asked.

As if to answer his question, Bulkhead came barreling down the hall, a battered and bruised, but relatively unharmed, Fowler in his hands.

"I got Fowler. Did you guys find Jack?" the large green mech asked as he approached.

"Muscles is right here Bulk," Miko said, pointing to Jack.

"Whoa, Jack you're ripped," Bulkhead said.

"I know!" he growled. "Can we just call the ground bridge so we can get out of here?"

Arcee nodded and brought a servo to her com. "Arcee to base, we need a bridge."

"Wait," Jack said. "If we're all here, and Ratchet went with Optimus to scout a battleground, then who's back at base?" he asked.

"Ratchet and Optimus got back right before Bee and I found out you and Fowler had been captured," Arcee explained as the bridge opened. "Now, come on. Let's get you kids out of here." And they all walked through the bridge, leaving the deep, dank ship.

_Aboard the Bridge of the Nemesis…_

Starscream went flying through the air and landed with a thud as Megatron stalked towards him. "You fail me once again Starscream. Not only did you delay my plans with your own agenda, you failed to even gain any information from the humans before the Autobots freed them."

"L-lord Megatron, I swear the human child escaped and killed his guards on his own," Starscream said in utter terror.

"You must take me for a fool Starscream, to believe that a human could possibly destroy a Vehicon in combat,"Megatron growled as he put his foot atop Starscream's face and began to slowly apply pressure.

"Lord Megatron, check Soundwave's records! I swear it's recorded there!" Starscream gasped from underfoot.

"Except that you put the human in the only room without a video feed. The level of incompetence you have displayed regarding the situation astounds me Starscream, and now, without a communications dish, we will be unable to bring my army to conquer Earth," Megatron growled.

"W-wait. Lord Megatron," the seeker stammered as more pressure was applied and he heard the creaking metal of his chassis. "I know how to get your plans back on track!"

Megatron stopped applying force and looked at the seeker inquisitively. "Then I suggest you get to work Starscream." And with that he took his foot off Starscream and walked away.

_Back at Autobot HQ…_

Jack sat on the medical berth while Ratchet examined him. "For the last time Ratchet, I managed to get away from the Cons before they could chain me up."

"I find that highly unlikely," Ratchet argued. "Vehicon troopers may not be the most intelligent drones, but they wouldn't allow a human to escape so easily."

"Well maybe they underestimated me," Jack countered. "After all, I was awake when they caught Fowler and I."

Ratchet just grumbled to himself. "Fine, you're clear. Go back with the rest of the humans."

"Thank you," Jack sighed. "Oh, one more thing: Are there any spare human clothes in the base? I'm getting tired of Miko staring at me like I'm a piece of meat." Miko immediately turned away, her face blushing red.

"There are some spare human clothes by the elevator you may use," Optimus said.

Jack nodded his thanks and went to a locker by the elevator. The shirt he pulled out was a simple grey long sleeved shirt without any other details on it. He pulled it over his head and secretly checked the chain on his necklace, hoping it hadn't been damaged (He'd almost forgotten about it during his time aboard the Nemesis.) and was relieved to find that the chain and pendant itself were unharmed.

While Jack changed, Ratchet was busy analyzing a picture of some blueprints that Raf and Miko had taken aboard the Nemesis when they were looking for Jack. Suddenly, a small detail caught his eye, and Ratchet zoomed in and digitally enhanced the photo.

Ratchet gasped. "By the Allspark!" Everyone turned to the medic, waiting for an explanation for the sudden outburst. "Optimus, these blueprints, they're for a Space bridge."

Optimus's optics widened in realization. "Megatron plans on using a space bridge to send the dark energon to Cybertron and use a legion of undead Cybertronians to conquer Earth."

"But without a navigation dish," Ratchet explained, "they'll be unable to get a lock on Cybertron's location."

"Don't the Decepticons know where your planet is?" Raf asked.

_"Naturally,"_ Ratchet snorted. "But, Cybertron is many light years away," he explained. "To reach their target…their aim must be astronomically precise."

"Hmm, from what I know of Earth's technology…I doubt there exists a single radio telescope dish on this planet powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron," Ratchet said.

"What about a whole bunch of _linked_ radio telescope dishes? Like the giant size array in Texas!" Raf suggested.

"Good thinking Raf," Optimus praised. "Ratchet, while there are inherit dangers in what I am about to ask, we need to use the ground bridge to get to Megatron's space bridge."

"Optimus," the medic started, "do you realize the implications of what you are asking?"

"Wait. What implications?" Jack asked.

Ratchet sighed. "If the ground bridge is stretched too far, it could potentially snap and scatter the team across the stars."

"It is a risk we must take Ratchet," Optimus said. "While the other Autobots and I handle the space bridge, Jack and the others shall ensure that the Decepticons do not gain access to the arrays in Texas."

"Wait. What?" Jack asked. "Why us?"

Optimus looked at the boy. "As Agent Fowler is out of commission," he explained, motioning to the unconscious agent, "we will need you, Raf, and Miko to ensure the Decepticons do not gain access to the array."

Jack looked hard at the Prime. "Fine," he finally said. "It makes sense, but after this, I'm done. If this is an average day with the Autobots, I don't want to have anything else to do with this."

All the Bots except for Ratchet and Optimus seemed caught off guard by Jack's sudden proclamation, Arcee in particular.

Optimus just nodded in understanding. "When this is over, if you wish Jack, we shall allow you to return home." Jack nodded his thanks.

Optimus and the others approached the ground bridge, which swirled to life. "Autobots, transform and rollout."

_Giant Size Array in Texas…_

Jack and the others arrived at their coordinates via ground bridge at the front of the facility's computer area. Miko walked up and tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked," she announced.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Let me give it a shot," he said, pushing her gently out of the way.

"Jack, it's locked. I don't think you-" Before Miko could finish, Jack popped open the door with a slight click, a smug grin on his face.

"You were saying?" he asked. Miko just grumbled to herself as they went inside.

"Can you see any guards?" Raf asked Jack in a whisper.

"No, the place has lead shielding," Jack answered. Raf gave him a confused look. "I can't see through lead, remember?"

"Oh, right," Raf said as they approached a computer room and entered. Raf immediately got to work hacking into the system. Jack sent Miko out to make sure no one stumbled onto them.

"Security is so lax in this place," Miko snickered as she returned.

"I'm in," Raf stated gravely. "But so are the Decepticons."

"What!?" Jack yelled.

"How can you tell?" Miko asked.

"Schematics, with the same alien math we saw on their ship," Raf started. He then looked at the computer and grinned. "…But _this_ time, I can download it." He then proceeded to plug his flash drive in.

"It's gotta be the spacebridge," Miko said.

"The Decepticons are syncing it to the dishes, but I can sync to _them,__"_ Raf explained.

"Will they know?" Jack asked, concerned about their safety more than his own.

"Even if the Decepticons see that I'm in the system, they'll have no idea I'm in the house," Raf explained with a small grin.

A small warning popped up on Raf's screen. "What's that mean?" Miko asked.

Raf read the warning. "It means they're locked onto Cybertron," he answered and grinned again. "But not for long." And he began hacking their systems again.

"The dishes are heading back to Cybertron…I'll just undo that again," Raf said.

"You might be stuck in endless combat," Miko said.

"What happens when the Cons realize they're being punked?" Jack asked.

"Eh, don't worry about it Jack. The Cons are like a thousand miles away," Miko said nonchalantly.

Jack didn't look convinced. His fears were justified when he felt the presence of something entering the room. "Get down," he yelled, tackling Miko and Raf to the floor right as a large tentacle swept across the main area where they had been standing a minute ago.

Miko stood back up, grabbed a fire axe from the wall, and attempted to swing it at the flailing tentacle. The tentacle, though, just ripped it from her grasp.

"Why would you give it an axe!?" Jack screamed. The tentacle tried hitting Miko, but Jack shoved her out of the way, just in time for the axe to make contact with his face. Instead of decapitating him though, the axe's wooden handle snapped with a loud crack, causing Jack to turn his head to the side and the tentacle to "look" at the shattered handle in confusion.

"Jack!" Miko called, only to be stunned by what she saw next. Jack slowly looked back at the tentacle, his face completely unharmed, with a look of pure fury on his face, his eyes glowing red.

Raf grabbed her. "You may want to get out of the way. This could get nasty."

The tentacle whipped towards Jack faster than the human eye could track. Jack caught it with a single hand, holding the squirming tentacle in place. He slammed it onto the floor and, before it could retreat, stomped on it so hard, it shattered the metal and wiring inside it and cracked the floor as well.

Jack looked towards the door. "Wait here," he ordered and he followed the remains of the tentacle.

Miko looked at Raf in astonishment. "What just happened?" she asked.

"Oh boy, look, Miko, Jack will explain, but please don't tell anyone about what you just saw," Raf pleaded.

"You kidding? I got to see what he's going to do next and snap some pics." And with that the girl ran out of the room, Raf in tow.

Jack stormed down the hallway, furious at what he had just witnessed. That thing had just tried to hurt him and his friends. He was going to make it pay. No one harmed those that were close to him. No. One.

He saw the remains get dragged into a room, the steel door slamming shut behind it.

Jack smirked. _'As if that would stop me,' _he thought. He approached the door and grabbed either side, slowly ripping it off its hinges and throwing it to the side. He stepped inside to see a large slender looking Con with a blank visor staring at him. There was a light energon leak on its chest, likely from the damaged tentacle. This was Soundwave.

The two aliens stared each other down before Jack charged the Con. The Con grabbed him in his hand and brought him to its visor, trying to analyze the struggling organic. Jack stared angrily at the Con, before a lance of red energy burst from his eyes, hitting the Con's visor. His visor reflected the beam out of the building, but it caught Soundwave off guard, causing him to drop Jack in surprise. The moment he touched the ground, He charged into the Con's leg.

He grabbed hold, warping the metal slightly, and spun flinging the Con through the wall outside. The wall collapsed into rubble, and Jack jumped through the now gaping hole. Soundwave struggled to stand, having been stunned by this odd series of events. He looked to see the teen running at him faster than should have been possible and tried to flatten him under foot. Jack caught the foot, barely, and twisted until he heard the satisfying pop of an ankle joint breaking. Soundwave stumbled back limping from the injury.

Whatever this thing he was fighting was, it clearly wasn't human. Soundwave decided now was the time for a tactical retreat and transformed to his predator drone mode to fly off.

"Oh no, you don't," Jack growled from behind clenched teeth and jumped to intercept the Con, slamming onto the top of his fuselage. The Con's form staggered under the sudden impact, but executing a quick roll managed to knock Jack off, where the teen fell to the ground below, cratering it where he landed.

"Well that wasn't fun," he moaned as he stood up.

"Jack!" he heard Miko call and turned to see her and Raf approaching. "Dude that was awesome! Where did you learn to do all that stuff? How did you do it?"

Jack's suddenly calm demeanor evaporated when he realized he just completely exposed what he was to Miko in his rage.

"Okay, spill," she said. "How did you do all that stuff?"

"I-I uh…" Jack stuttered slightly.

"He's not human," Raf blurted, earning a slight glare from Jack and a bewildered look from Miko.

"Of course he's human Raf. Last I checked, aliens didn't look like humans," she stated.

"No, he's right Miko," Jack said, reluctantly. "I'm not human, but I don't know what I am either. All I know is that I was sent to Earth as a baby, and I have these abilities that allow me to do amazing things."

Miko gaped at him. "Dude that's awesome! Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Jack sighed. "Sit down. This could take a while to explain."

_Later Back at Autobot HQ…_

Miko had taken all the news…well, to say the least. It had taken a good ten minutes, though, to convince her not to tell the Bots about Jack's abilities. Eventually, she agreed, and they had returned to base, where they had listened to the battle that occurred on the Space Bridge.

The ground bridge swirled to life, and several figures walked through.

"Bulkhead!" Miko screamed in joy as her large guardian walked through the portal.

Optimus was next and finally Bumblebee. Jack's breath caught in his throat as he saw that he was carrying an injured Arcee in his arms, and he ran up to them.

"We lost one this week. By the Allspark, don't let it be two!" Ratchet pleaded.

Jack placed his hand on her servo, and Arcee opened her optics weakly. "Jack, really?" she asked weakly. "There are other motorcycles in the world."

Jack smiled a little. "But you're my first," he joked lightly.

Ratchet turned to Optimus. "And Megatron?" he asked.

Optimus's gaze hardened. "Not even he could have survived ground zero."

"_Prime_!" came the voice of Agent Fowler.

Everyone looked at the Agent.

"I didn't get to thank you Bots for the save. I owe you one…we all do," he said and made his way up the elevator.

As everyone watched, Arcee struggled back up, and Miko approached Optimus. "So, is this the part where you say goodbye and tell us we need to forget we ever saw you?" Miko asked.

Optimus looked over the humans and their guardians. "It would appear you have all formed strong bonds with your guardians. If you do not wish to leave, I will not force you," he stated, and Miko smiled widely.

Jack, however, hung his head slightly and headed for the elevator. Everyone was too busy, caught up in talking to notice except for one bot.

Jack took the elevator the top and sat on the edge of the mesa, overlooking the landscape. His mind was wandering over all the events of the past two days. In two days he'd made contact with a new alien race, been captured by giant robots, and fought another said robot in a dish array in Texas.

Not only that, but it seemed the longer he stayed, the more likely he was to get discovered by the Autobots. Would they really accept him and his abilities? Or would they see him as a threat that had to be neutralized?

This was why he was thinking about leaving, not because he was in any particular danger. Today had shown that he was pretty resilient. No, it was because if his secret got out, there was a very good chance that the Bots would try and capture him and his mother to protect humanity as a whole.

Jacks thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal feet, and he turned to see Arcee walking towards him. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," she said as she sat by him. "Pretty close to the edge."

Jack snickered. "After today, heights don't really bother me." The two sat like that for several minutes before Arcee broke the silence.

"You still planning on leaving?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, on the one hand, I don't want to leave. After all, who would keep track of Raf and Miko if I left?"

Arcee chuckled. "Yeah, she's a trouble maker, that one." She turned her gaze to Jack. "And on the other hand?"

Jack sighed. "I'm afraid of who will take care of Mom if something happens to me. She's always been worried about me, but since Dad passed away, I've had to take care of her as much as she did me." Jack buried his head in his hands. "I just don't know."

Arcee looked over her human charge, before placing a reassuring servo on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her. "Jack," she started. "I just lost someone close to me…Maybe it's the grief talking, maybe you're growing on me, but I'm not ready to say good bye yet." Her optics met his eyes. "And I'm pretty sure you're not either."

Jack smiled and stood up. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm not ready. How about we head back down?"

Arcee smiled. "You might want some ear plugs though, Miko still has her guitar."

Jack shivered. "Good idea. Head on in. I'll be down in a minute." Arcee nodded and headed in.

When she was gone, Jack took the necklace off and gazed at the symbol on the pendant. Looking at it always made him feel a little better, and right now, he was hopeful that whatever happened with the Bots, it would be for the better.

**A/N: And here it is chapter three. I originally planned to release this yesterday, when I learned something important: Writing two chapters this long in a single day is a pain. Now, onto easing concerns. I know that some are concerned I'm going to do a retelling of the entire TFP series or first season before getting to Zod. I'm going to say right now that I am not. In fact, here's a list of the episodes that will occur before Zod: Scrapheap, Con Job, Convoy, Speed Metal (You guys will enjoy that one), Predatory, Crisscross, Out of His head, and Shadowzone, which will then lead into Zod's arrival. Now I apologize as well for any parts of the story that seemed rushed as well. Hope you enjoyed and remember review with critique, or PM me for plot ideas, questions etc. Bye.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Scrapheap

_Darby Residence, one week later…_

Jack groaned as his alarm clock blared in his ear "Shut up." he growled, as if expecting the clock to stop. When it didn't, he lightly slammed the snooze button bringing his room into blissful quiet.

"Why did I even leave the alarm set," he mumbled as he got out of bed "it's Saturday after all."Jack froze. It was Saturday, wasn't it? That meant no school and no job. This used to mean he would spend his time at home, catching up on homework, researching conspiracy sites, or messing with his powers.

Not today though, no today he was going to go to the Autobot base with his friends. A smile lit up on his face. For the first time in his life, Jack actually had a reason to look forward to the weekends, besides the lack of school.

Jack rushed through his daily morning routine, getting dressed and cleaned far faster than usual, though trying to keep his speed under control. After getting dressed, he rushed out into the kitchen trying not to smile too widely.

He froze when he saw his mother standing there, sipping a cup of coffee "M-mom." he said "I thought you'd be at work by now."

"Gee thanks Jack," she replied sarcastically "good to know your happy to see your own mother."

"No no, no, no that's not what I meant I was just, surprised by you being here." he said.

"I'm starting late today, thought maybe you and I could hang out and talk a little before I left." she said before raising an eyebrow at him "Unless you have something important to go to that is."

Jack raised his hands in defense "No no, nothing too important, just going to go hang out with some friend s later today." he said.

"Would these happen to be the same friends you've been hanging out with after school?" she asked with a small smile. Jack didn't know it, but June was secretly thrilled that he was getting out more. The poor boy had always been withdrawn, and after her husband died, he had only withdrawn further.

"Yes actually, same friends as always." he said, as he began making some toast for himself.

"You ever going to introduce me to them?" she asked innocently.

"I ugh, yeah, eventually." he said. An awkward silence fell over the two. Truthfully they had little time to ever truly talk, and their lack of social lives left little for them to talk about. Except for the topic of Jack's powers and his origins. That was a touchy subject that neither of them liked to talk about.

Jack felt guilty every time he talked about it, because he felt like he was reminding mom that he wasn't her son, and that no matter how much she cared and loved for him, there was a chance that someone else out there had loved him and cared for him.

June felt bad for similar reasons, though she knew that Jack wanted nothing more than to find out why. Why had he been sent to Earth, and why his parents had given him up. So whenever they talked about it, June felt like she was reminding Jack that while he may look human, he was far from it.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of Jacks toast popping, causing Jack to flinch. As he pulled it out of the toaster, he felt an odd cold feeling in his chest. He ignored it while he made his toast, but when he was done, it had escalated into freezing cold.

It was so uncomfortable, that Jack started rubbing the center of his chest to try and warm it. June noticed "Jack, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine." he said, though when he spoke, he saw frost escape his lips "What in the?"

June arched an eyebrow at him "Are you sure?" she asked.

Jack sighed about to respond. But, his sigh seemed to come out stronger, and to his and his mothers surprise, frost came out, and ice started spreading across the tabletop. They both stared at the now frozen table in the middle of the kitchen.

"Well that's new." he stated, looking from the table to his mom.

June would have been surprised by this, but she had grown used to Jacks spontaneous power growth over the years. The days when his heat vision really started developing in particular had been difficult for everyone and left scorch marks all over the house.

"Can you control it?" she asked.

Jack nodded, before blowing air again, this time no frost. He blew more air, and this time, frost appeared in his breath.

"That'll ne a neat trick." he said, smiling a little.

June sighed "I'd say you should stay home and master it, but it seems you already have it down. Just be careful when you're out today, okay honey?"

Jack just rolled his eyes as he headed for the door linking the garage to the door "Relax mom, when have I ever lost control of my abilities."

She gave him a humorous stare "Remember the doorknob's." she said pointing to the tray of doorknobs that Jack had accidently broken off over the years. While Jack had learned to keep his strength relatively intact, occasionally his emotions would get the better of him, and he wouldn't hold back when using something like a door, car, or TV remote.

Jack rubbed the back of his head "That's different, anyway, got to go, bye mom." and with that he waved goodbye as he opened the garage door and saw Arcee waiting for him. He closed the door behind him, careful not to break the handle off.

"Hey Jack." Arcee greeted from her vehicle form "Ready for school."

Jack shook his head "It's a Saturday." he stated.

"And?" she asked questioningly.

"No school, and no work on a Saturday!" he said excitedly, keeping his voice low.

"Ratchets going to love that." she said sarcastically.

Jack chuckled as he got on, and the sped out to head to the Autobot base.

* * *

_Autobot Headquarters…_

The three Autobots and their charges pulled into base, making a relatively loud ruckus as they did. Ratchet growled in annoyance as they drove in.

"What are the children doing here, shouldn't they be at school?" he asked in annoyance.

"It's Saturday which means no school Ratch." Miko explained as she hopped out of Bulkhead.

Ratchet mumbled too himself about how annoying and inconvenient that was, while Arcee and Optimus headed into the med bay.

"Hey Arcee?" Jack asked as his guardian walked away "What's going on?"

"Scouting mission, Bee and Bulk found something and where heading out to investigate further." she explained.

"Can I tag along?" he asked.

Arcee smirked "It's in the Arctic."

"Never mind." He said rubbing the back of his head.

"I wish I could go." Raf said wishfully "I've never seen snow before." he admitted.

"Unfortunately Raf," Optimus explained "the temperatures are too extreme even for us Autobots."

Raf lowered his head upset "But," Optimus began "I will bring you back a snow ball."

Raf's face lit up with a smile at the large bot's promise, before he headed up to the human living area with Jack and Miko

"Now remember Optimus" Ratchet lectured "If your symbol flashes blue, that is not a warning, it means you should be back here now."

"Understood old friend." Optimus said as he and Arcee stood in front of the bridge. With a flip of the switch, the bridge opened and the two walked through.

Once the portal closed, the terminal for the ground bridge suddenly sparked and sputtered "By the Allspark." Ratchet cursed.

"Hey Bee," Raf said "Wanna race RC cars?" the boy asked.

Bee nodded excitedly, when Ratchet interrupted "Ep, ep, ep I need Bumblebees and Bulkheads assistance in repairing the ground bridge, otherwise Arcee and Optimus could become trapped in the Arctic."

Bee bleeped apologetically towards Raf "It's okay Bee, well race later." Bee nodded happily before heading over to assist Ratchet.

"Hey Raf." Jack called, "Why don't you and Miko play a video game." he motioned to the relatively new setup in the base. When they'd first arrived, the base was lacking in all but the most bare essentials. Over the past week they had added more and more items to the upper area for the three of them to hang out while the bots were out on missions.

Most of said missions had been simple Energon runs, ever since Megatron's supposed death, Starscream had been in charge of the Cons. All they had accomplished since then was the reawakening of an ancient worrier who refused to obey Starscream, and in the end was defeated by Optimus and Bumblebee.

Since then things had been relatively quiet. So the humans had been busy with the accessorizing their living area. So far they had added a couch, television, refrigerator, and two beds, as well as an inflatable mattress.

Getting these items up to their area might have been difficult, but most of the time Jack picked up the slack from his weaker friends. Truthfully he could have easily carried all the items up the stairs, but a human carrying a couch with a single hand upstairs would have made the bots a tad suspicious.

For now though, the game system was hooked up, with a racing game all hooked up "Sure." Raf said cheerily, before a frown appeared on his lips "But what'll you do?" he asked.

Jack stood up and crossed his arms behind his head "Think I might explore the base a little." he said, and walked off into the bowels of the base. Video games weren't particularly fun for him, his reflexes made them far too easy, and the bright lights could hurt his eyes if he wasn't expecting it.. Now under normal circumstances, Jack rarely had reason to explore any location, as he could just look through a wall and see what he wanted.

However, the base's walls were lined with lead, so he couldn't see through them. This left Jack with the rare opportunity to explore an area and actually be surprised by what he found. As he wondered the base though, he quickly realized that a good chunk of it was completely empty. Apparently the bot's didn't keep a lot of mementos from battle, and weren't very interested in decorating.

This left the walls being a plain gray color, with a rock roof, and metal pipes running across the walls. Jack was examining one of said pipes, when he heard a small tinkling sound. He looked over to the sound and saw a strange sight.

A small silver creature was skittering on the floor towards him. It had a large spherical head, with large purple eyes, and a small tiny lower body, with thin spider like legs holding it up. All in all the creature was adorable.

Jack kneeled down to get a better look at it "Hey little guy" he called " where'd you come from? I didn't know the bots had any pets." though given how drawn in Arcee could be, he wouldn't be surprised if there were all kinds of secrets they weren't telling him or the others.

The small little machine wobbled up to him, its large head keeping it constantly unbalanced "If you're not a bots pet ," Jack wondered aloud "then I wonder what you are."

Jack heard a much larger sound, similar to the small little machines steps, and turned around. The sight he saw made his blood run cold. It looked like the smaller machine, but it was easily over 7 feet tall, and 10 feet long, with a pair of arms under its head. A large port opened under its large purple eyes, and revealed rows and rows of sharp metal teeth. Jack turned to the smaller machine, and saw the same feature.

The large machine turned ignoring Jack, and took a large bite out of one of the pipes running along the wall ripping and tearing it too pieces as it did.

"Hey stop that!" he yelled. The creature ignored him and took another bite, Energon dripping down its maw. Jack realized it would ignore him, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He ran at the creature, jumped and delivered a round house kick to its head, knocking it into the side of the wall.

The large creature turned to him, teeth bared "Well Jack you got its attention," he muttered "now what?" he asked himself. He didn't dare fire a beam of heat vision in here, if he missed, he could blast a hole in the roof. He had put a lot of his strength into that kick as well, and the creature only had a minor dent to show for it.

So he ran, heading for the main area of the silo, the large beast letting out a vicious screech that sounded like a mix between a lions roar, and nails on a chalk board. Jack didn't dare try and hit full speed, mainly out of fear of running into one of the bots literally, and turning their foot into scrap.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the large creature was still on his tail, legs skittering across making a loud clinking noise. How something so big and unbalanced moved so fast was beyond him.

Finally Jack reached the main area, running close to 30 MPH. The bots and humans all looked at him as he ran in "Jack" Ratchet began "What's going-" before he could finish asking the large creature entered the room, sliding on its legs as it turned to face the Jack and the bots.

"SCRAPLET!" Bulkhead screamed in a high pitch voice "Kill it, kill it, kill it!" he screamed, and switched his servos to blaster mode. Bee did the same, and the two unleashed a massive barrage of laser fire, the blasts melting bits of armor on the Scraplet. The creature screeched, enraged by the pain it was being subjected too. It began charging at Bulkhead and Bee, but unbeknownst to them Jack had been analyzing the creature the whole time.

He had found a weakness in its lower body, and as it charged, loosed a microscopic heat vision blast at it, the same kind he used when he had to clean the metal appliances in the house, simply more intense. The beam took it through the power source, and its eyes flickered out, dead. The body stumbled and tripped, screeching across the floor until it tapped Bulkheads foot lightly. He Bumblebee, and Ratchet were all panting heavily.

"What, was that!?" Miko asked, eyes huge at the scene she had just witnessed.

"That" Ratchet explained "Was a scraplet."

"I've never seen them get that big" Bulkhead said, almost in a whimper.

"That's because they normally don't" Ratchet said as he examined the dead scraplet, that came just below his knee armor.

"By the allspark" Ratchet murmured "This is no ordinary Scraplet, it is a warrior class."

"A what now?" Miko asked, though Bulkhead and Bee's optics widened in fear.

"Warrior class" Ratchet explained "Normally a standard scraplet is no more than a foot tall. However, if a group can find enough nourishment to support them, a hive is formed."

"A hive?" Raf asked "You mean like a bee hive?"

Ratchet nodded "Yes very similar to the insect population however, it is based purely on if there is enough food for them. The normal sized ones, are known as worker class. This right here" he said nudging its head with his pede "Is a warrior class, defenders of a hive, and larger food scouts, searching for a more… diverse food source."

"Like what?" Jack asked.

Ratchet turned to the boy "Living metal." he stated ominously.

"So wait," Miko said "if there are workers and warriors, where's the" an earth shattering screech filled the base, causing every bot, human ,and alien to cover their ears and audio receptors.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"That" Ratchet said as he looked over the assembled humans "Was the queen."

* * *

_Later…_

Jack, Raf and Miko walked through the corridors of the base, searching for the scraplet queen, and her main hive. According to Ratchet, once a hive was formed, a single consciousness, the queens, took hold. That meant that if the queen was destroyed, the remaining scraplets would shut down, allowing the bots to dispose of them.

Since the scraplets couldn't detect organic life, it was determined that the humans were best suited for destroying the scraplet queen. There was a slight size difference that Miko pointed out, but Ratchet actually had that covered. He was able to quickly assemble and Energon detonation pack, strong enough to kill the queen, without destroying the base as well.

"How much longer." Miko groaned.

"Really Miko?" Jack asked "The entire Autobot base is at risk, and you're asking questions like that?"

Miko shrugged "It wouldn't be a problem if you would tell the bots about your powers, space boy."

Jack turned to her "You really want to start this again?" he growled. Ever since she found out, Miko had constantly argued with Jack in private to tell the bots. Every time Jack refused to listen, but the girl was nothing, if not persistent.

"Well yeah, I mean you have super powers, so why not use them?" she asked.

"We've been over this." he stated.

"Yeah yeah, they might catch you and your respecting your dead dads wish whatever." she said nonchalantly.

Jack dropped the explosive and spun to face her "What. Did. You. Say" he snarled slowly.

The girl looked at him with a dull expression "You heard me."

"You have no idea what I go through everyday Miko. Every day I have to constantly watch myself to make sure I don't hurt someone or something. It's like living in a world made of cardboard!" he yelled

"Ugh guys?" Raf said, only to be ignored.

"If you were man enough you wouldn't have that problem!" she yelled back "It's seems all the cool stuff happens to wimps!"

"Guys?" Raf said again. Still ignored.

Jacks eyes narrowed "Say that again." he growled as he got inches from her staring her down.

"GUYS!" Raf yelled.

"What!" they both yelled in unison.

Raf pointed, and they saw to their horror, thousands of scraplets on the wall. Each wall, even the floor and ceiling, had thousands of the buggers, all swarming over the walls, devouring every piece of metal in sight.

Jack looked at the fire extinguishers they had been give. Ratchet said they reacted to cold like Autobots, by shutting down and going off line. As such, the fire extinguisher would work on them in small numbers.

Looking at the numbers now though, Jack realized that it was pretty pointless to have brought them. But then, an idea struck Jack.

"Get behind me." he ordered, and the two got behind the alien teen.

"Why?" Miko asked.

Jack smiled "It's about to get a lot colder in here."

With that said, he took in a deep breath, filling his lungs as he did. When they reached their peak, he released the pent up breath, releasing a breath of freeze breath, instantly freezing the scraplets where they stood. He slowly began to walk forward, the others following him using his breath to freeze any scraplets that moved.

Eventually, all the workers had been frozen in place, the ones on the ceiling and walls falling to the floor. Luckily for Jack, the internal temperature of the base prevented ice from forming on the walls, but not from forming on the scraplets.

Miko and Raf looked at Jack with amazed looks on their faces "Dude when did you learn to do that?" Miko asked excitedly

"Today." he said sheepishly. He straightened up "Come on" he said "Lets go find the queen."

With that the three walked through the door at the end of the hall, into a horrifically amazing sight. Thousands more scraplets were wandering around the scraplet trap, having devoured it when they escaped, and sitting in the center, surrounded by several warrior class scraplets, was the queen.

If the warriors were big and ugly, the queen was worse. She stood over 15 feet tall, and stretched an astonishing 30 feet in length. Her head was still massively oversized, but along with the two glowing purple eyes, there were several smaller ones dotted around them, each moving of their own accord. Along her massive maw, were two mandibles, each tipped in a large serrated drill. Her body had dozens of large metal legs holding her up, and large purple blotches covered her back, each one spewing several dozen scraplets in a burst of bright blue Energon. All in all, the queen was one of the most disgusting things the children had ever seen.

"That is disgusting." Miko said, scrunching her face in disgust.

"Good thing we're here to kill it then." Jack said reaching his hand to Raf "Raf hand me the explosive."

"Jack I thought you had it." Raf said.

"What? No I thought I gave it to you." Jack turned to Miko "Do you have it?" he asked.

She shook her head "Nope, should we go back?" she asked.

"No time." he sighed "If we don't destroy the queen, then the base will be destroyed, and Arcee and Optimus will die in the Arctic."

He sighed again "Stand back, looks like I'm doing this the old fashioned way."

"Swa-eet!" Miko said as she flipped out her cell phone.

"Get to safety" Jack ordered without turning around "These things are tough, and I can't use my heat vision. This might take a while."

Before the Asian girl could protest, Jack took off, faster than the human eye could follow, towards the scraplet queen. As he ran, the airstream that formed around him, caused scraplets to get thrown into the air, breaking apart if they were anywhere near his foot falls.

As Jack charged towards the queen, she let out another roar, and her warriors rushed in front of her to protect her. Jack jumped up towards the first one, and landed on its head, shoving his hand into one of its optics. The creature let out a howl of pain, as it struggled to through Jack off, the others unsure of what to do. Jack looked into its shattered optic, and with a brief flash of light, his heat vision fried its internal circuitry.

He jumped off the now smoking scraplet, and flipped through the air, landing gracefully on the floor, legs absorbing the impact. Bending down, he pushed off the ground, slamming into another warrior. This one tried using its front legs claw at him, but he grabbed them both, and began spinning the scraplet around. As he gained momentum, he heard slight cracking from its joints, and suddenly the scraplet was ripped off its legs, flying into another one, killing them both, and soaking the floor in bright Energon.

At this point there were two left, and they charge at him simultaneously. Jack ducked under the first one, and rolled to his feet in front of the second one. Before it could react, Jacks fist shot forward, knocking the creature back, a large fist print evident on its chest plate.

The first one tried biting Jack's shoulder with its teeth, but they just shattered against his skin. Jack grabbed the upper and lower half's of its massive maw, and pulled each one in their opposite direction. There was the sound crackling, before he ripped the entire upper half of the creatures head off, and flung it to the side.

The second one had recovered from Jacks first blow by now, and scrambled towards him. This time Jack kneeled down, and aimed himself at its large open maw. Before it could get any closer, he shot forward, ripping through its mouth, and causing it to fall to the floor, off line.

Jack stood up, panting slightly. He looked himself over, and was amazed to see that except where the scraplet bit him on the shoulder, there was no visible sign of damage on his clothes.

Jacks self check up was interrupted by a loud scream of pure primal rage. Jack turned to the queen who was bellowing in fury, a large angry cloud forming behind her. Jack realized that that was no cloud, but a swarm of every scraplet in the base, huge massive, and engulfing the entire second half of the cargo area.

The queen flicked her mandibles at Jack, and the swarm charged towards him, buzzing like thousands of little angry drills. The swarm hit with the force of a tsunami, and Jack was flung back across the room.

The swarm quickly surrounded him, biting and clawing at him. Except for slightly tearing his clothes though, the attacks did little but irritate him, their teeth shattering if they bit too hard.

Jack crouched again, preparing to try something he never would have tried before. He jumped, putting all his strength into it, causing a small shockwave to push some of the scraplets away. He rocketed towards the ceiling, more than a hundred feet up, and twisted around so his feet would meet it. When he hit the ceiling, he took a deep breath and launched himself forward, using his freeze breath the whole time. It created a giant frost cloud as he flew towards the ground, and Jack began spinning himself in midair. When he hit the floor, the force created sent the massive frost cloud outwards, and the entire swarm froze. They seemed to stay frozen in the air for a split second, before falling to the ground with a gentle plinking.

Jack stood up, panting hard, his clothes torn to shreds from the swarm. That was the most he had ever used his powers before, and he felt exhausted.

His quick break was interrupted by the shrieking of the queen scraplet "Oh come on!" Jack yelled "Couldn't you have froze from the frost like the others!?"

The queen stood to her many feet, and her mandibles twitched irritably. She had lost almost all of her children to this organic, and she was pissed. The two stared each other down neither one moving an inch. They were the only ones in the hangar, Miko and Raf were watching from the door, their jaws hanging open.

The queen charged forward, faster than should have been possible, towards Jack screeching all the while. Jack tried to move out of the way, but the queen slammed into his side before he could, causing him to stumble.

The queen slid on her own legs, twisting to face Jack for another charge. This time though, as she charged, Jack braced himself. The queen slammed directly into him, but Jacks legs absorbed the impact. Despite this, he was still being pushed towards the door. With a fling of her head, the queen launched him through the door, and he crashed to the floor skidding to a halt.

"Ouch." he moaned. It hadn't hurt him, but it still stung like hell. As he struggled to stand, exhausted by the fight, he felt his foot tap something. He looked down to see the explosive at his feet. He must have dropped it during his argument with Miko and forgotten it.

He picked it up, setting the timer for 60 seconds. It was all the time he would need for the plan to work. He looked up at the queen, who's massive sized head was keeping her from following him, and charged towards her. He gave a running leap and did a twist kick into her face, causing her to fly backwards.

The queen got back up and roared at him, only for Jack to jump onto her mandibles, and slam the explosive down her gullet "Special deliver" he quipped and he jumped off. Right as he landed, the explosive went off, and the queen and the remains of her subjects were incinerated.

The shockwave itself, slammed into Jack knocking him back against the wall. He fell to the ground face first, and passed out, far too tired from the fight to remain conscious.

* * *

_Later, in the Medbay…_

"Report Bio-circuitry status" Ratchet ordered from a sitting position.

"Levels are rising" Jack said giving a thumbs up. Apparently during the humans assault on the queen, a large scouting party had attacked Bee, Bulk, and Ratchet. When Jack destroyed her though, all the scraplets went dead, and were planned to be disposed of when the bots had recovered.

Luckily for Jack, Miko had decided to not tell the bots about the fight when he passed out, claiming the Jack had braved an angry swarm of scraplets to plant and detonate the explosive.

Since then Optimus and Arcee had arrived as well, and the humans were in charge of taking care of the whole team.

"Excellent." Ratchet directed his gaze to Raf "Rafael Keep a close eye on Bumblebee's elector-pulse monitor."

He turned to Miko "Miko, check Bulkheads interface patch.

"It's steady." Raf stated.

"Looking good." Miko said from beside him.

"Perhaps you should get some rest yourself old friend" Optimus suggested "You saved quite a few lives today."

"It wasn't my doing." Ratchet admitted his gaze wandering over the children again "Were just fortunate that this infestation occurred" he paused "on a Saturday."

"Our human friends may be small" Optimus said " But they are strong."

At that very moment, Miko let out an earth shattering scream, causing Jack and Raf to get in front of her, metal pipes raised in defense.

"Scraplet!?" Jack asked hurriedly.

"Spider!" she screamed "Is it on me!?" and she ran off, hopping up and down and screaming, checking for the non-existent spider.

Jack sighed as he returned to checking Arcee's vitals. He turned when he heard Optimus walking up behind him.

"O-Optimus, what can I do for you?" he asked.

A small smile tugged at his faceplate "I just wished to thank you for braving the scraplet horde for our sake Jack." Optimus said.

"It was no problem Optimus, I just did what was right." he said rubbing the back of his head.

"Regardless," Optimus said " you displayed great courage today, despite your initial misgivings."

"W-what do you mean?" the teen asked.

"That even though we have placed you in harm's way, you still endangered yourself for our sake. I cannot express how grateful I am. If you ever need to talk or simply have a need for advice, I will be more than willing to provide a listening ear."

A sad look briefly crossed the teens face, before it was replace with a more neutral tone "Thanks Optimus I'll let you know if anything comes up."

The leader nodded and walked away, leaving Jack to his thoughts. Optimus claimed he'd be willing to provide advice for Jack if he ever needed or to talk. That was a great leap of trust for Optimus and Jack wished he could do the same. The Autobots had always been trusting. Maybe, he should start doing the same.

**A/N: Phew, that is the longest and most intense action sequence I have ever written. There is one thing I would like to bring up again since no one seemed to read my last A/N. This is not a fic where Jack and Miko will be paired, the little incident in chapter three was purely for comedic value, I shall not here, nor ever write a pairing between the , what did you think of what I did with the scraplets? I figured normal scraplets would have been too easy for Jack, so I made them more hive minded. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the next one is either Con Job or Convoy, let me know if I should do Con job or skip to convoy. Please review, let me know what you though, and PM me for plot based questions or ideas.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Con Job

_Jasper High, two days since scraplet infestation…_

Jack sighed as he exited the school building. Today had been an exceptionally slow day, and Jack was eager to leave school as soon as possible.

He walked towards the parking lot where Arcee was parked. "Hey Jack," she greeted. "Ready to head to base."

Jack stretched slightly as he answered, "Actually, I think I'll head home today. It was a long day at school. Is that all right?" he asked.

Arcee slightly twisted her handlebars, the closest equivalent of a shrug she could give in vehicle form. "Should be fine as long as you stay home. Optimus never said that coming to base was mandatory. Guess I'll see you later tonight," she said.

"Yeah, see you tonight." And Jack walked off, heading home.

While he was technically heading home to rest a little from the school day, he had another reason for not going to base. He was going to go out and train using his powers. His time fighting the scraplets had shown that while he was powerful, he still had a lot to learn.

When he had almost fainted from exhaustion, he realized he needed to start pushing his powers to their limits, so as to increase his skills with them.

Jack sighed as he walked down the sidewalk. After the scraplet invasion little had occurred at the Autobot base. True, they had added to their living area, but there had been little to no sign of Decepticon activity. Whatever Starscream was waiting for, he was incredibly patient.

_'Or incredibly incompetent,' _Jack thought with a smirk. It was pretty obvious to the teen that as far as leadership skills went, Starscream was lacking.

He wasn't like Optimus, who could inspire troops just by speaking, or Megatron, who terrified his subjects into submission. He depended on cunning, which, as second in command, worked for him, but with actual power now, that cunning had lost a large amount of its force.

Jack also thought on Optimus's words after the invasion of the scraplets. He would talk with Jack in private or provide advice if the boy needed it. For Jack, that was a gesture of trust he didn't want to abuse, and it made him feel horrible.

He was starting to wonder if maybe the Bots should know about what he was and what he could do. If they did, he could help out on missions; provide a new wild card to the field the Cons couldn't hope to match.

Though, Jack had a feeling that even if Optimus and the others knew about him, they would still try and keep him out of harm's way. It was in their nature after all.

Jack sighed as he walked up to the front door to his house and unlocked it. This was clearly a subject he would need more time to think about. He walked in and set his backpack by the front door, walking into the kitchen to fix a quick snack.

He made a sandwich and began eating when he noticed a small letter on the table. It was a note from his mom, saying she'd be late again, but that he could heat up leftovers for dinner.

Jack shrugged, Mom always worked late, but it didn't bother him. She was only doing what she thought was best, and Jack had taken his job at the K.O. Burger to ease her workload a little. It didn't seem to do much, but every little bit helped in his mind.

Jack finished his snack and walked out the back door, scanning the area around and behind the house for any potential witnesses. Satisfied there weren't any, Jack crouched down and jumped into the sky, flying dozens of feet into the air, before landing. He looked back behind him and saw that he'd landed about one-hundred feet outside of the back yard.

"Not bad," he said to himself, "but let's see if I can do better." He turned forward, and took off at full speed, leaving a trail of dust behind him. He quickly hit his 200 mph mark and took a large leap, this time jumping over two hundred feet in that leap. He kept doing this, again and again, each time jumping higher and higher.

He was so distracted by this though, he didn't notice the Mesa right in front of him and crashed right through it, sending rocks and dust flying as he left a teenage boy sized hole in the side. He landed with a thud on the other side.

"Owwwww," he groaned. "That wasn't fun," he stated as he got up and began brushing the dust off his clothes. He looked up at the sky, preparing to start again when something caught his eye. To the average viewer it looked like an airplane of some sort, but upon further examination, especially with Jack's, it was revealed to be an alien ship of some sort, being pursued by Decepticons.

Jack made a split second decision then and there to begin heading to the area where it seemed the now flaming spacecraft was headed. He took off at full speed, trying his best to keep up with the ship, and cursed the fact that out of all the powers he was granted, flight was not one of them. He saw the Cons tailing the ship unleash a hail of energy blasts towards it.

The ship began evasive maneuvers, gracefully dodging many of the blasts, when several stray shots connected, causing the ship to fall out of the sky. Jack watched helplessly as it tumbled into a large mesa and heard the sound of impact.

Instead of falling back or calling base, Jack decided that whoever was in that ship clearly was in need of immediate assistance, and Jack would be willing to provide it. Running to the base of the mesa, Jack crouched and, in one fluid motion, jumped to almost the top of the mesa, grabbing hold of the ledge.

He hoisted himself up and took cover behind a large boulder, before peaking out to analyze the situation. He was fairly shocked by what he saw. Dead Vehicon troopers lay everywhere in pieces scattered across the ground, as if cut apart with a blade. Jack continued looking around and saw a group of them restraining a slightly injured Autobot. The mech had pure white armor with red and green stripes running along his chest, as well as two pairs of winglets, and a large helm that spread outwards in opposite directions and stuck out as well.

The Autobot was being dragged towards an open portal. Obviously, the Cons planned to take him prisoner. What shocked Jack was who stepped out of the portal: Another Autobot that looked exactly the same as the one being restrained. Jack put two and two together and came to a conclusion.

_'They're going to try and infiltrate the base!' _he thought. _'Which means that they'll likely kill this Autobot.'_

Jack realized he was in the middle of a dilemma. He could attack the Cons now and likely be overwhelmed. Follow the clone into base and expose him, exposing his own powers in the process. If he took the second option though, there was a good chance that this other Autobot could be killed by the Decepticons, simply because they could.

Jack realized there was a third option he hadn't considered. Follow the Cons aboard the Nemesis and free the Bot, help him get to base, and expose the spy. There was a good chance he could keep his powers hidden and not get captured by the Cons if he took this route.

Shrugging, Jack checked to make none of the Vehicons or the clone were looking and rushed through the ground bridge after the newly captured Autobot.

_Aboard the Nemesis, the brig…_

Wheeljack hung in the brig, his arms suspended above him in stasis cuffs. Truth was he'd been in worse scrapes before, but not many. He would have busted out sooner, except that Scream had decided to take away his swords and post two guards outside the brig. That would make things tricky.

But then, for a Wrecker, difficult missions were a part of the job. He just hoped he could escape the ship before that shape shifter, Makeshift, managed to hurt Bulkhead or his team. Of course, Wheeljack had already begun work on freeing his servos from the cuffs, and he'd be free any moment now.

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of shouting outside his cell. Soon, blaster fire was heard, followed by the sound of metal being torn and burned, a sound Wheeljack had grown accustomed to over the years.

Wheeljack lifted his head, straining to hear the fight. The fighting style, from what he could make out, was fast and brutal, a common Wrecker style. However it was fast and relatively quiet as well, which immediately out ruled Bulkhead as his savior.

Wheeljack shook his head. It was wishful thinking that Bulkhead would have figured out the spy wasn't him this quick, let alone that he found the ship.

No this was someone else, someone who had probably been nearby when he'd been captured. Couldn't be a native though. From what his scanners showed, they could be a tough lot, but not strong enough to take on a Con alone.

Whoever it was though, they had finished up with the Cons outside and were working on opening the sealed door. He heard some slightly muttered curses before, to the mech's shock, two bright beams of energy began burning through the bottom of the door. The lasers cut through the metal like cesium salami and quickly cut a large hole through the door. The door was still standing though, held in place by friction.

As Wheeljack was thinking it would take a lot of force to break it free of its position before the molten metal hardened again, a single loud slam knocked the door out of its newly carved hole, and it clattered to the ground.

Wheeljack's jaw dropped when he saw who his savior was. Standing on the metal, his arms covered in Energon, was a human teenager, no older than maybe 16 or 17 stellar cycles.

"Who the scrap are you?" The wrecker asked.

"My name's Jack Darby, and I'm here to get you out of here," the boy known as Jack stated.

_The Nemesis, in the brig…_

Jack walked up to the Bot dangling from the cuffs, whose faceplate was a picture of surprise.

"Need help with those cuffs?" Jack asked.

"Well yeah, but I don't think you could break them, unless you still got those particle cannons," the Bot said.

"Particle cannons?" Jack asked as he jumped up onto the mech's captive servo and began peeling the cuff off. It was a tough metal, and, while Jack could break it, it would take a moment.

"Yeah, you know," the Bot said. "The cannon you used to cut through the door. I didn't know you, uh, what are you guys called again?"

"Humans," Jack answered as he ripped the cuff off.

"Yeah, that's right, humans," the Bot said triumphantly. "Anyway, I didn't know you humans were so tough."

"That's because they aren't," Jack answered as he ripped the other cuff off. Wheeljack fell to the floor and rubbed his wrists momentarily before returning his attention to the teen standing before him.

"If they aren't that tough, then how did you take out those two guards?" the mech asked.

Jack sighed. "Okay, don't tell the rest of the Bots, 'cause they don't know, but I'm not human."

The bot raised an eyebrow. "Come again?" he asked.

Jack rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not human, but I don't know what I am either. All I know is that I've spent most of my life living on Earth, have no idea what I am, and that I can do amazing things. Those beams you saw? Yeah, I can shoot those from my eyes." To prove his point, he shot a beam out of his eyes, melting a chunk of armor from one of the dead cons.

The bot whistled. "Impressive move set kid." He turned back to Jack. "Tell you what, you help me get off this flying piece of scrap, and I won't tell the others, not even Bulkhead. Name's Wheeljack by the way," Wheeljack said.

"You know Bulkhead?" Jack asked as the bot walked out the door smoldering door.

"Sure do," he answered. "He and I use to serve together in the Wreckers, an elite team of bots, the best of the best."

"So, what happened?" the boy asked as he followed the Wrecker.

Wheeljack sighed as they walked to a corner. "Bulk left to join Team Prime, and the Wreckers fell under new management shortly after. I left before the rust could set in."

Jack nodded in understanding as Wheeljack checked the corner. "Any idea where my weapons are?" Wheeljack asked after making sure the coast was clear.

Jack shook his head. "Not a clue, but if you give me a moment, I should be able to see where they're keeping them." Jack began squinting his eyes, peeling the layers of the ship apart to search for the Wrecker's weapons.

"What are you doing?" Wheeljack asked, while he made sure there weren't any Cons coming.

"I can see through walls, metals, and almost any other object," Jack explained as he continued to look.

"Neat trick," Wheeljack commented.

Jack shrugged. "It has its uses."

He found the weapons and opened his eyes. "Two corridors down and to the left three doors down is where there holding your weapons."

"Thanks kid," the Wrecker said before taking off down the hallway, Jack keeping pace.

They turned down the hall and came to a stop in front of the door. Wheeljack walked up to the door, and it remained shut.

"Guess it would have been hoping too much for it to be unlocked," the Wrecker said.

Jack coughed into his hand, catching his attention. "Allow me." he said, motioning for him to get out of the way.

When he was out of the way, Jack's eyes began glowing bright red, and two red beams lanced out, cutting into the dark metal of the door. He repeated the process he had used earlier to get into Wheeljack's cell, and soon enough the door was lying on the floor, smoldering in places.

Wheeljack walked into the holding area, and searched around for a short while. He found what he was looking for and walked back out, sliding too large slightly curved swords with gleaming grey and white metal and red handles into sheathes on his back.

He looked to Jack. "Let's blow this scrapheap kid." And they turned to start leaving, when they were stopped by a figure standing in front of them.

It was the Decepticon spymaster Soundwave, who stood silently before them, blocking their path.

"Wheeljack," Jack said. "Head the other way, it'll lead to the flight deck. I'll handle Soundwave."

"Sure you can take him kid?" Wheeljack asked.

Jack slammed his fist into his open hand and cracked his neck. "Yeah, I got this. After all, we've been in need of a rematch since last time."

Wheeljack only raised a brow, before nodding and running in the opposite direction, while Jack prepared for round two.

"So how's the leg been treating you?" Jack asked innocently. Soundwave just glared silently, his visor blank.

"I take it you never told Megatron or Screamer about you getting your platinum butt handed to you on a platter?" Again silence.

_"Underestimated you," _Soundwave said through recorded clips. _"It will not happen again."_

Jack shrugged. "Fine by me."

The two stared each other down silently for several moments. Neither one was willing to make the first move. Soundwave didn't know how strong Jack was and didn't want him to turn him to paste, but at the same time wanted to redeem the last defeat he had suffered. Jack was buying time for Wheeljack, and had never fought a Con yet who knew what he was capable of. Soundwave would be the first.

Jack took off like a bullet, leaving a small trail of dust in his wake as he charged the spymaster. This time, Soundwave lifted his foot out of the way, and twisted, kicking Jack from behind and sending him flying through the air. The teen landed with a thump and skidded across the ground.

He stood back up and turned to the silent Con, who, if he could see his face, likely had a very smug grin.

"So that's how it's gonna be?" he asked as he prepared again. This time, instead of running at him, he leapt through the air, insanely fast, and attempted to deliver a right hook to Soundwave's helm. The Con lifted both his arms and took the brunt of the attack. The result left the metal of Soundwave's arms bent but unharmed.

As Jack started to fall back, Soundwave backhanded him with his right arm, knocking the boy into the wall, causing him to grunt in pain. He fell to the ground on his knees and heard the sound of blaster fire above. Suddenly, an idea came to him. They were directly under the flight deck, and Jack was plenty strong enough to break through. He just needed something to use to break it.

He looked up at Soundwave with a grin and charged.

_Flight Deck, aboard the Nemesis…_

Wheeljack parried a blow from a Vehicon with his blades, before crossing them in an x over its neck and promptly removing its head. The fighting on the flight deck so far had been a breeze. Wheeljack had quickly cut through the first few bots with ease. Now though, the numbers were starting to increase, and he feared that he could be overwhelmed at any moment.

This fear was promptly ended when there was a loud crash, followed by the limp form of Soundwave, crashing up through the flight deck where he landed with a thud. The Vehicons and Starscream looked at the struggling spymaster as he began to stand, dents and scorch marks covering his slender form.

"Well that was fun," a voice called from the new hole in the floor.

Wheeljack and everyone else turned to see Jack climbing out of the hole. "Though I think I've about wrapped up here. What do you think Wheeljack?"

Before the Wrecker could respond, a ground bridge opened up behind them. "I'd say," Wheeljack said with a smile, "Our ride's here kid. Come on." And he rushed through the portal. Jack turned to follow, when it suddenly closed.

"Oh scrap!" he cursed before turning to the Vehicons and an incredibly angry Starscream.

Starscream finally got a good look at the teen before him ."You!" he screeched. "You have been a pain in my side ever since we captured you!" he declared. "Well no more, today I will end you personally!"

With that, the Con swiftly grabbed hold of Jack, grasping him tightly in his talons. He heard some muffled cursing emanating from his talon. "What's that human?" he asked mockingly. "Please don't crush me? Why that's a splendid idea!" He began applying pressure, when, to his surprise, his talons were flung open by the teen.

Jack looked up at him. "You really never learn do you Scream?" he said sarcastically before hopping off the Con Leader's servo to the ground below.

"I, but, y-you?" he stuttered in confusion, before his face hardened in anger. "That's it!" he snarled, causing Jack to turn to face him. Really, this whole time on the flight deck had been amusing, and the Vehicon's showed no sign of wanting to help their supposed master.

Starscream pointed a finger at Jack about to rant at him, when Jack grabbed the talon and, with a heave, flung the seeker over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground below. He then heaved again and slammed him into the other side, letting go and walking away, while Starscream lay on the floor, in a daze.

A new ground bridge opened, and this time, Jack rushed through, right as Wheeljack's copycat sailed over head, into the sea of Cons behind him.

_Later, atop the Autobot Base…_

Jack stat on top of a boulder, watching as Wheeljack worked on his ship. After Wheeljack had dealt with his doppelganger, Jack had slipped into base unnoticed and cleaned himself up from the fights that had occurred on board the Nemesis. When he came back, he claimed that he had walked to base and came through the front entrance, which, to his relief, all those unaware of his abilities immediately bought.

Wheeljack, so far, had kept his promise of not telling the Bots about Jack, and he was grateful for it, but now, after having caught up with Bulkhead, Wheeljack announced he was heading back into the stars to search for any other surviving Wreckers.

Jack spoke up. "You sure you want to leave?" he asked. "You and I could make a pretty good team."

Wheeljack shook his helm while he worked on his ship, the Jackhammer. "Sorry kid, I don't like hanging around in the same place for too long. Besides, you and the rest of Team Prime will make a fine team, once you tell them about what you can do."

Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, about that, thanks for not telling anyone."

Wheeljack shrugged. "Eh, don't mention it kid. Us Wreckers gotta stick together."

Jack looked up in surprise at Wheeljack's mention of the Wreckers. "Wait, did you just…"

"Yep, consider yourself an honorary member kid. After watching you kick tailpipe today, I'd say you earned it." Wheeljack smiled "Besides, the galaxy can always use a few more Wreckers."

Wheeljack stood, stretching his back plates as he did. "Well, she's all fixed up. Guess I'll be on my way. See you some other time Jack," he said as he got to the front of the Jackhammer.

He turned to Jack. "I'll keep an eye out for any aliens that look like humans and let them know they left their kid here," he quipped.

Jack smiled. "Thanks Jackie," he said.

"No problem kid," he replied nonchalantly. He turned to walk up the ramp, when something caused him to pause and turn back to Jack. "Next, time I come back though, I'll expect you to have told the rest about what you can do. The bots could really use someone with your skill set." With that he walked into the ship, and the lower door shut.

There was a slight whirring noise, and slowly the Jackhammer lifted off the ground. It levitated in midair for several seconds before it took off, moving faster than any human based aircraft ever would, leaving the teenage alien to watch silently.

Wheeljack was right, he realized. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. He'd almost been caught today. He'd need to tell at least one of the Bots about what he could do. Jack thought for a moment, thinking over the bots he could tell. He could tell Bee, but he wouldn't be able to understand him, which would make asking him to keep a secret kinda strange.

Bulkhead would react like Miko, wanting to immediately tell everyone about Jack and not understanding why Jack considered his abilities a burden. Nor would they understand why he continued to keep them a secret. Ratchet, well, was Ratchet.

That left Arcee and Optimus. Arcee was his guardian, sworn to protect him from the Cons if they ever attacked him or his family, but, while the two had started to warm up, and Jack in particular cared for her, always trying to protect her in some way shape or form, she was still relatively closed off, thinking of her assignment as more of a job, and considered him a burden. Plus despite his best efforts to get her to talk about what bothered her, she refused to talk about it. How could he trust her with his deepest secret, if she couldn't do the same?

That left one choice for Jack: Optimus Prime. Jack smiled slightly. The large bot was wise and kind, more so than anyone he had ever met. He reminded him, in a way, of his dad, always doing whatever it took to protect the innocent and his family. For Optimus, Jack realized, his team as well as he and the humans were Optimus's family. He would understand why Jack kept the secret from him. He wouldn't tell the others when Jack wasn't ready.

Yes, Jack thought. Soon, he would tell Optimus about what he was and what he could do.

**A/N: Bum bum buuuuum. So yeah, next chapter Optimus finds out in the end. Now, I know a lot of you told me to skip Con Job, and after hearing your reasoning, I had planned to, but then this idea struck, so I decided to write a slightly shorter chapter for Con Job instead. I hope you guys liked it. Oh, I also have a special announcement. I and Elhini Prime, one of the authors on this site who inspired me to write transformer fic in the first place, are going to write a crossover between her story, Son of The Stars, and Another Type of Alien. They will crossover after Zod's invasion, so don't expect it until possibly next week, or the week after, but if you guys like this idea, PM both of us with plot ideas for the story. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as always, review with critique and PM me for plot ideas or questions.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Convoy

_5 days later, Autobot Base…_

Jack, Raf, and Miko sat in base, playing a video game on their television set. Well, Raf and Miko were. Jack was sitting to the side, watching and thinking. His mind had been on a lot of things over the past week.

His rescue of Wheeljack and the former Wrecker making Jack a Wrecker had astounded Jack. From the way Wheeljack had talked about them, he never expected that he of all people would be accepted into their ranks. Heck, he just wanted to help him when he saw he was captured. Hurting the Cons had been a bonus.

Now, Jack hadn't told anyone but Raf and Miko about it. Raf had thought it was pretty cool, while Miko had flipped out. She demanded to know why, and Jack had explained his rescue of the Bot more in depth. When he told her about how he flung Soundwave through the ceiling, she'd gone into a rant about the fact she hadn't been there to snap any pictures.

Of course, since then the Con activity had seen a bit of an increase. Energon mines and minor attacks had become more frequent, and the Bots had been in and out at random intervals. Optimus in particular had been busy, juggling physical combat with the Cons and verbal conflict with the human military, which, as usual, was incapable of being pleased regardless of the outcome of a mission.

But so far, today had been relatively quiet; no sign of con activity at all. This had left plenty of free time for the Bots and their charges. Jack smiled as he remembered his ride to base with Arcee. Once she'd made sure there were no humans around, she'd taken off again, and Jack had blissfully laughed the whole time.

Sure he could run faster than her, but there was something thrilling about not having complete control over the speed and feeling the thrum of the engine as they blasted down the highway. After their ride, they'd headed back to base, where Jack and the others had headed to their living areas.

Jack sighed blissfully as he entered his more meditative state. The base was peacefully quiet, or as quiet as it could get, and the boy had a chance to allow his senses to spread out. He could hear all the little details going on throughout the base: The sound of the Bots' footsteps as they wandered around the base, the sound of small creatures scurrying through the base, and the gently thrumming of energon passing through the pipes into the ground bridge.

Jack's peace was interrupted by the sound of a loud beep followed by Agent Fowler screaming over the com. "Prime!" Jack let out a startled yelp as he fell off the couch onto his rear, prompting a laugh from Miko.

"Ha ha, laugh it up Miko," he said as he stood, rubbing the back of his head.

"Prime!" Fowler yelled again from the terminal.

Optimus approached the terminal, Arcee in tow. " Special Agent Fowler, to what do we owe-"

"What else?" The agent interrupted. "Cons. I chased them off with some hard ordinance, but not before they blew me out of the sky."

Miko laughed. "Again?" Jack shot her a look. He'd been with Fowler when they shot him down. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.

"They tried to run a smash and grab for the Dyngus," Fowler explained.

Arcee tilted her head to the side. "The whatsit?" she asked, confused.

"Dynamic Nuclear Generation System A.K.A: D.Y.N.G.U.S" Fowler explained. He pressed a button on his console, and a picture of a large steel crate with a door appeared on screen.

"It's a prototype energy source I'm porting to the coast for testing," Fowler continued.

Ratchet snorted. "That's absurd. Why would Starscream bother with such a primitive technology?" the medic asked, causing the humans and Jack to roll their eyes at the medic.

"I'm guessing to make a big, bad, primitive weapon of mass destruction. If this baby were to meltdown, it would irradiate this state and the four next door," Fowler paused to let that sink in.

Raf spoke up. "Uh, what state did Fowler say he was in?" he asked.

"I'm a sitting duck here Prime. I need you to spin up your bridge and send the D.Y.N.G.U.S to its destination before the Cons come back for it," Fowler finished.

"I'm afraid that sending such a volatile device through a ground bridge is out of the question, Agent Fowler," Optimus said, Fowler giving him a questioning look. "If there were to be an accident during its transmission, the radiation of which you speak could propagate through the ground bridge and harm all 50 states, and beyond," Optimus finished with a note of finality.

A disappointed look crossed Fowler's face before he raised an eyebrow at Optimus. "You got any better ideas?" he asked sincerely.

"If I could fly I could get it to the coast no problem," Jack muttered to himself, only loud enough for Miko and Raf to hear.

Optimus smiled ever so slightly. "That I do Agent Fowler." He turned to Ratchet. "Open a ground bridge to Agent Fowler's location."

He returned his attention to Fowler. "We shall provide an escort for the device until it has reached the safe zone," Optimus stated.

"Bulkhead, Bumblebee, ready my trailer," he ordered.

_Later, Autobot Base…_

Jack and the others were waiting in quiet anticipation at base. For several hours, the Bots and Fowler had driven the D.Y.N.G.U.S to the coast. Despite some tension at the beginning between Optimus and Fowler, concerning driving styles, it had gone without a hitch so far. At least, that's what Optimus and the others reported.

"We are locked onto your coordinates Optimus," Ratchet said, as three blinking dots representing the Autobots appeared on screen. "Barring any complications, you should arrive at the drop zone by sundown."

Miko let out a bored yawn as the three watched the screen. They could hear everything going on over the coms and struggled not to laugh at Fowler's honking at an old beater, followed by Optimus reprimanding him for doing it.

Jack smiled. It seemed that this time, everything was going to plan for the Bots. The universe, as usual, liked to prove Jack wrong.

_Above the highway…_

"Sir, it appears to be a civilian convoy," a man in full green body armor as well as a pair of green goggles said from the pilot's seat of an advanced attack copter.

The man to his right was in his mid 50's with a clean shaven face and a scar running on the left side of his face up to his forehead, as well as across his nose. He smirked. "Clever trick, Agent Fowler," he stated.

"Hiding the device in a civilian convoy would be the last thing we would expect under normal circumstances, but we are anything but normal." The man grabbed a radio from the chopper's flight console. "All units, converge on the truck. I want that device. It is the future of our organization."

Five green cars trailing the convoy from behind suddenly engaged their full speed and began gaining on the convoy.

The man smiled. Soon, M.E.C.H would have another device to add to their arsenal of advanced technology, and no one would stop them.

_Cruising down the highway…_

Fowler sighed as he looked out Prime's window. The ride had been very dull as Prime refused to allow Fowler to play any music, and the agent's smart phone had been damaged in the crash of his plane. Go figure.

The way Fowler saw it, the sooner this was done, the better. His lamenting was interrupted when he saw several green vehicles approaching the Bots fast.

"Uh, Prime, looks like we got Con tailgaters," he said as he faced forward in his seat.

"We see them Agent Fowler," Prime said. "Autobots, prevent the Decepticons from gaining access to the device, but maintain vehicle form."

The Bots acknowledged his command via com and formed a wall to block off cons.

"Odd color scheme for the Cons," Bulkhead commented as the vehicles raced to find a way around the blockade.

Back at base, Ratchet was wondering the same thing. "If there are Decepticons tailing the team, then their signals should have been detected."

"Maybe they have new tech that blocks their signal?" Raf suggested from the platform.

"I most certainly hope not," Ratchet stated. "If the Decepticons have learned how to hide themselves from our scanners, we may have lost one of our only advantages in this war."

"Well that's a happy thought," Miko said.

Back on the highway, one of green cars went offroading, avoiding Bulkhead and Bumblebee. The car pulled ahead, next to Prime's cabin. Fowler prepared for the Con to transform and tackle Prime off the road, but what happened instead shocked him.

The sun roof of the car rolled back, and a man clad in full green body armor stood up facing Prime. He reached down and pulled out a rocket, aiming it directly at Prime. Shock plastered Fowler's face, but before the man could pull the trigger, the yellow form of Bumblebee's vehicle mode slammed into the car, causing it to swerve off road. Bumblebee proceeded to pull in front of Optimus, in case any more of the humans got any funny ideas.

"Theyre human?" Bulkhead asked in surprise.

"What!?" everyone back at base asked in shock.

"That doesn't make any sense," Jack said. "Why would humans want to steal the D.Y.N.G.U.S?"

"A fair question Jack," Optimus said over the com. "But one which will need to be answered another time. Autobots, use minimal force to deal with the humans," he ordered.

Suddenly, two cars broke past Bulkhead, and one of them pulled up next to the hitch where the trailer was connected to Optimus. Another man dressed in green armor jumped from the car to Prime and began working to remove the trailer.

"Agent Fowler," Optimus said. "I will deal with the rogue vehicle, but you must apprehend the human attempting to undo my hitch."

Fowler nodded and unbuckled his seat belt. He struggled to open the door as the high speed wind pushed against it. He eventually propped it open and stepped onto the step on the side of Optimus's cabin. He pressed himself to the side and began inching towards the back. He tried to ignore the street below, blazing by incredibly fast.

Eventually, he made it to the back area and saw the man, who was distracted by his work. Fowler snuck over and tapped the man on the shoulder. The man looked at him in surprise before Fowler delivered a haymaker, stunning the man.

He grabbed the man by the collar and brought him closer. "Who are you, and what do you want with the device?!" he yelled over the wind.

Even though he couldn't see the man's face, it was obvious he was glaring at him. "Go to hell!" he yelled back, before kicking the agent back. Before he could recover, the man retreated back into his car.

As it began to pull away though, Optimus began moving to the left putting distance between the two vehicles. He suddenly moved to the right sharply, causing Fowler to fall on his rump. However, the tactic also slammed Prime into the car, causing it to swerve into a large boulder, wrecking it.

With his little excursion over, Fowler made his way back into Prime's cabin, where he slumped into his seat with a sigh.

His moment of rest was interrupted when his radio sparked to life. "I must admit Agent Fowler," a deep but somewhat sophisticated voice said over the radio, "I am impressed by your tactics so far, eluding our aircraft and hiding the D.Y.N.G.U.S in a civilian convoy. Clever."

Fowler picked up the radio. "Oh yeah, and who do I have the pleasure of talking to?"

The voice was silent for a moment before answering. "You may call me Silas, and I believe you have something of mine in that trailer."

"Is that so?" Fowler replied sarcastically. "Tell me Si, what's the black market price for a Dyngus these days?"

The voice chuckled over the line. "What makes you think we intend to sell it, Agent Fowler?"

"What other use would a terrorist organization have for an energy device?" he asked.

"Why Agent Fowler, you wound me. You assume that we are not your average military group. We are MECH, an organization dedicated to the procurement of advanced technology. When the time comes, we shall establish a new world order," Silas bragged over the line.

"Yeah, will good luck with that Si. We've dealt with psychos like you before, and we'll do it again," Fowler said defiantly.

"Agent Fowler, I would not dismiss this man's claim so easily. Dangerous ideals can often attract dangerous followers," Optimus warned cryptically.

Fowler ignored Optimus's warning and looked at his review mirror instead. He saw the other vehicle pull up to the back of the trailer, and another man stood up, wielding an odd weapon. He aimed and fired three shots at the back of the trailer, firing three cylindrical shaped charges at the latches on the back of the trailer.

They latched on tight, and the MECH agent turned the gun to the side and pressed a button. Three large explosions rang out, and the seals on the trailer burst open, revealing the D.Y.N.G.U.S inside. The green car drove closer to the edge while the soldier walked across the hood, arms spread out to keep balance.

Fowler lifted the radio up. "So Si, you think MECH's the only one with the most radical tech?" he asked.

As the man prepared to jump into the trailer, the sound of an engine roaring started, and the familiar blue shape of Arcee's vehicle form jumped out, landing with her rear tire on the front of the car. The man stumbled back into the car as it jumped into the air from Arcee's landing and flipped onto its side, colliding with another car and causing it to flip end over end. It landed with a screeching crash and exploded, leaving a flaming wreck in its place.

Silas frowned from his chopper. "Definitely not civilian drivers," his pilot stated as they put distance between themselves and the convoy.

"Later Si," Fowler said over the radio, a smug smile on his face.

With the MECH troops dealt with, the convoy continued on, driving into a large canyon area with a side of train tracks to the right and a large cliff face, sparsely populated with trees and bushes to their left.

"Optimus," Ratchet commed. "Prepare to initiate phase two. Five miles ahead to the south, you will reach the rendezvous point."

_Aboard the Nemesis…_

Starscream stood listening as Soundwave played back the intercepted message from the Autobots.

Starscream chuckled. "Excellent, it would appear that the Autobots have left the confines of their base."

He suddenly looked at Soundwave with a worried look. "Tell me, has the meddlesome some human been spotted with them as well?" he asked. If that human was with them, there was a good chance that the Autobots could fight off whatever Starscream threw at them.

He and Soundwave had learned the hard way that this human had abilities not exhibited by another other human to date. The possible ramifications of having the humans participate in battle with the Autobots terrified Starscream and, as such, had led to him being far more careful in his actions.

Soundwave slowly shook his head no. "Good, and it sounds like they are otherwise engaged as well. Which means," he said, a slow sadistic smile spreading on his face, "that they'll never see us coming."

He turned to a group of six vehicon flyers. "Find them and scrap them!" he ordered.

"Yes, Lord Starscream," they answered in unison, bowing as they left.

_Back in the canyon…_

"There's our rendezvous," Fowler pointed out as a train began to pull up next to the Bots.

"Autobots," Optimus said, "maintain tight formation."

With that said, they went down the small hill separating the road from the railroad. They followed the train into a long tunnel, the MECH vehicles following close behind. As MECH was about to enter though, Bulkhead spun around and transformed, using his blasters to blast the entrance, preventing the cars from following.

Satisfied with his work, he transformed and sped off to catch up with the rest of the Bots. The other Bots were preparing to move the D.Y.N.G.U.S from Prime's trailer to the train. Arcee was already in the trailer, grasping the device with both servos. Bumblebee transformed and hopped on top of the train, knocking on the door.

It opened, revealing an African-American soldier. Bee looked at the soldier and waved at the man. Optimus's trailer revealed a new function, its walls splitting apart, revealing only Arcee. She lifted the device and handed it to Bulk, who was riding the train as well. With one hand, he carefully handed it to Bee, who placed the nuclear power source inside the train car.

Their sleight of hand finished, Bee and Bulk jumped off the train and transformed, following Optimus out of the tunnel.

As they drove back up the hill, Agent Fowler received a communication from one of the soldiers aboard. "This is not good," he said when the soldier finished reporting. "Ratchet, we've got a problem," he said over the com.

_Back at Base…_

"Ratchet we've got a problem," Fowler said over the com.

"What seems to be the problem Agent Fowler?" Ratchet asked. The whole situation seemed to be running smoothly so far, despite MECH's involvement.

"The coding that handles the cooling procedure for the D.Y.N.G.U.S has been damaged," Fowler explained.

"So what's the problem?" Jack asked. "Can't it be fixed when you get it to the coast?"

"Not enough time," Fowler answered. "If it's not fixed now, the resulting nuclear fallout could make the entire west coast glow in the dark."

Ratchet thought to himself. "It could be tricky, but I could bridge Rafael onto the train so he could find the error," Ratchet suggested.

"Really?" Fowler asked. "Isn't he like 12?"

"12 and a half," Raf said. "Besides, I've hacked government coding before. This should be no problem…As long as Jack and Miko come with me."

Fowler sighed. "Fine, do it. We're all counting on you kid, so be quick about it."

The transmission cut out, and Ratchet got to work, attempting to lock onto their coordinates.

In the meantime, Jack walked up to Raf. "You're sure you want to do this?" he asked. "It could be dangerous."

"You heard Fowler, Jack. If I don't do this, millions of people could die, even us," Raf countered. "Besides, as long as you're with us, we'll be safe."

"From Cons," Jack said. "I've never fought a human using my… abilities before."

"Well there's a first time for everything," Miko said excitedly, causing Jack to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

The ground bridge flared to life, and Miko rushed down the stairs to the bridge before turning to the two boys. "Well, you guys coming!?" she asked in a happy tone.

Jack sighed and looked to Raf. "Well, let's head on through and get this over with." And they walked through the bridge with Miko.

_Aboard the train…_

Jack, Raf, and Miko hopped out of the bridge into the train. They were one car away from the D.Y.N.G.U.S, the soldier guarding it in the car as well.

Jack examined the area and, to his horror, found the entire train had lead shielding. "Oh scrap," he cursed, tugging at his shirt collar nervously.

"What's your problem?" Miko asked as she walked to the door.

"The t-train has lead s-shielding," Jack stuttered, his claustrophobia already setting in.

"So?" she asked.

"I c-can't see through l-lead shielding, a-and I-I d-don't like tight s-spaces," he explained, his stutter getting worse.

"Oh my God, you're claustrophobic!" Miko laughed.

"M-Miko this i-is s-serious. If I-I can't s-see through the w-walls, how will we kn-know if someone's coming or n-not?" he asked as he wiped some sweat off his brow. This was worse for him then when he was in the pipes with Raf. At least then he could sorta see through the walls. Here he couldn't, and it left him wondering how humans could live in such small houses all the time without freaking out.

Miko rolled her eyes. "Whatever, come on, let's get in the other car and have Raf do his hacker stuff."

The three walked into the next car, Jack looking around nervously the whole time. The soldier standing guard greeted them. "You the specialists Fowler told me about?" he asked.

Raf shook his head. "I am. The others are extra protection."

The soldier looked over the two teens. Miko was relatively short and thin, while Jack looked like he was in the middle of a panic attack, breathing heavily while twitching his head from side to side.

The soldier shrugged. "Whatever, just get this thing fixed. I'd rather survive my last mission, thank you." And he walked off.

Raf walked up to the device and pulled out a cord, plugging it in. "Alright, time to get to work," he said as numbers and code began flashing across the screen. He began typing fast, hundreds of words a minute, never missing a beat the entire time. He continued like this for several minutes, when there was the sound of a loud clang from the car behind them.

Jack whirled towards the sound. "What was that!?" he asked, almost screamed.

"Relax kid," the soldier said. "Just stay behind me, and everything will be fine."

The soldier approached the door to check for possible enemies, when a single shot blasted through the glass and into the soldier's head, killing him instantly. The soldier fell on his back, dead, while Miko let out a horrified scream.

"Raf!?" Jack asked, the terror obvious in his voice. "Please tell me you're finished."

"Just… about… there!" he said as he pressed enter on his keyboard. "Coding is fixed, no nuclear overloads anytime soon."

Before anyone could call Ratchet for a bridge though, a small explosion ripped open the car door, knocking Raf and Miko back, and causing Jack, who had expanded his sense to compensate for his lack of X-ray vision, to be knocked nearly unconscious.

Three green armor clad soldiers rushed into the room, rifles held in hand. "Get down on the ground!" the tallest one, clearly the leader, ordered.

Raf and Miko complied, while Jack struggled to recover from being stunned, his eyes fluttering open. He was lying on his back against the wall, so the MECH soldiers likely assumed that he had died or been knocked unconscious in the blast.

The lead troop raised a hand to his radio. "Silas, there are two children here with the device, what do you want done with them?"

No one except the soldiers should have been able to hear what Silas said next, but Jack's hearing had begun to return, and he heard it in perfect clarity "They're witnesses, kill them."

"What do we do sir?" one of the soldiers asked.

The commander looked at him. "You heard Silas," he said as he drew his pistol from its holster and aimed it at Raf's head as looked up in fear. "No witnesses."

Time slowed down for Jack as realization hit him. They were going to execute Raf and Miko! They were just children, no threat to them! They were his friends, and Jack never let anyone hurt his friends! It was at that moment that the combination of his disorientation, panic from claustrophobia, and anger at the monsters who stood before him caused Jack to snap.

The soldier was about to squeeze the trigger when a hand clamped down on his wrist, its grip like iron. The soldier looked up in surprise to see the boy he thought had died in the explosion standing before him, a look of pure rage spread across his face and his eyes glowing an eerie red.

"No. One. Hurts. My. Friends," he snarled. The soldier brought his free hand in for a punch, but Jack released his hold on his gun hand and, faster than any human could move, grabbed the man's arm and twisted until an audible pop could be heard. The man let out a scream, and Jack elbowed him in the back, knocking him into the wall so hard it dented the metal.

"Oh shit!" one of the soldiers cursed. "Open fire!" And the two remaining men opened fire on Jack. Jack just stood there, all the bullets bouncing of his skin, deflecting into the walls of the train.

Faster than a bullet, Jack rushed forward and punched the closest man with an open palm. There was a loud crack, as his sternum snapped, and he flew backwards into the wall, gasping for air as he began to drown in his own blood. Jack turned to the other man and grabbed the barrel of his rifle with one hand. Showing no effort, he bent the barrel of the gun upwards, away from him.

The trooper looked stunned by what happened before Jack grabbed him by throat and began to apply pressure. The man struggled for breath as dots began racing across his vision. With one quick flick of his wrist, his neck was snapped, and he went limp. Jack tossed the body out of the now open door on the side of the car.

He turned to the last man, the first one who was cradling his left arm as he stood up, his mask having been removed as Jack's blow had made it difficult for him to breathe. He looked at the boy before him, his eyes wide with fear as the soldier bolted for the exit. In a blur, Jack disappeared and reappeared in front of him and grabbed him by the throat.

The commander choked and gasped as he and Jack heard Silas calling for a status report. As the man was about to try and answer, he froze his mouth shut with his freeze breath.

His crimson eyes stared into the terrified man's. "Now. You. Die," he said coldly. Twin beams of red energy burst from his eyes and slowly burned their way through his skull. The man tried screaming in pain, but the ice muffled his cries. Slowly, his struggling and screaming grew weaker, and two smoking holes appeared on the other side of his head. Jack flung this body out of the moving train as well.

He turned to face Raf and Miko and saw Miko huddled against the wall, Raf entwined in her arms. Jack's temper quickly cooled off, and the consequences of what he'd just done hit him full force. His eyes returned to their blue color, and the boy fell to his knees, his head hanging in shame.

Hot tears stung his eyes, as he began to sob at what just happened. Not only had he just murdered three men, he'd more than likely just pushed his only friends away. His sobs became more choked and he slammed his fists into the metal of the floor, denting it. All three were so caught up in what happened, they never heard the explosion, nor did they feel the train slowly come to a halt.

Jack's sobs began to let up, when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Raf. "Hey, Jack it's okay. You didn't mean to do it. You were just protecting us."He turned to Miko. "Right Miko?"

Miko nodded. "Y-yeah, if you hadn't done it we would have died."

Jack shook his head. "Not like this," he whispered. "Didn't have to die, didn't have to make them suffer." He let out another sob. "Monstrous, a monster, that's what I am," he said.

"No Jack," Raf said. "You're not a monster, you're our friend got it?" he said.

Jack looked up with a slight smile. "Th-thanks guys, but, I need some time to…" he inhaled shakily, "to think this out."

_Back at Base, 10 minutes later…_

After Optimus had stopped the train, he had quickly bridged the kids back to base, and a military escort finished taking the D.Y.N.G.U.S to the drop zone. The mission had not ended in disaster per-say, but it wasn't a victory for the Bots either. At least the children had been safe, though they refused to talk about what happened, particularly Jack.

Since they'd arrived, Jack had sat on one of the couches in the living area, his head buried in his hands, unresponsive to any of the children. It was clear to Optimus that whatever had happened on the train was bothering the boy, and that he needed time to figure it out.

Unfortunately, the others had not figured this out yet and were greatly concerned for the boy, Arcee in particular.

"Jack?" she asked. "You feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled half-heartedly.

Arcee didn't buy his excuse, something was bothering her charge, and she wanted to find out what. "No, Jack, you're not. Something is clearly bothering you. Now what is it?" she asked again.

"I said I'm fine," he replied from the couch angrily.

"Jack-" she began her voice taking a more serious tone, when Jack stood up. "I SAID I'M FRAGGING FINE OKAY!" he screamed, his voice echoing off the base walls.

Everyone had frozen at his outburst. Jack _never_ yelled, never cursed. Something was clearly bothering him.

Jack looked over the stunned faces and scowled. "I said I'm fine, now leave me alone." The teen turned around and stormed towards the elevator, angrily activating it.

Arcee was stunned by what just happened. True, Jack had gotten angry at her before, but he'd never screamed like that, never cursed at her. Whatever was bothering him was something major, and she began to head up to talk to her charge, when Optimus placed a servo in front of her.

She looked up at the Prime in confusion. Optimus looked at her. "I shall talk with Jack," he stated firmly, and Arcee nodded in understanding.

Jack stormed out of the elevator, fuming silently. It wasn't his fault he snapped, he just wanted to be left alone, he needed to be left alone, but they just had to pry had to find out why he didn't want to talk.

His mind drifted to what he'd done aboard the train. The fact that he'd killed those men in pure cold rage wasn't bad enough. He'd tortured them, killed them in the most brutal ways imaginable, in front of his friends no less. Sure Jack had killed plenty of Vehicon's, but they were different. They were drones with limited thinking abilities. These had been living, breathing people, and Jack had killed them, snuffed out their lives as easy as blowing out a candle.

What bothered him most though was just how easy it was. They had just crumpled against him, completely outclassed. That's how it was with everything Jack realized. He was stronger, faster, and even smarter than most people. His whole world, like he'd told Miko, was made of cardboard.

He looked at a large boulder to his right. Any human would never be able to break it, let alone damage it. Jack punched it lightly once, and a large series of cracks spread from it covering the side. This just made Jack angry, and he punched again, feeling the rock give way. Again, and again, and again he punched, each time pieces of stone went flying. By the time he was done, there was nothing but a pile of stone chips lying at his feet.

He fell to his knees again, using his hands to keep from falling face first. He wasn't tired, just upset over everything that had happened. More importantly, why had it happened? Why had he been sent to Earth, why did he have these powers, why'd those men have to threaten his friends, and why did his real parents give him up!?

"WHY!?" he screamed to no one in particular.

"A question we all ask at some point, Jackson," a deep voice said from behind.

Jack whirled to see the massive form of Optimus standing before him, a neutral expression on his faceplate. "O-Optimus!?" he stammered. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked. The leader of the Autobots had a habit of moving incredibly quietly when he wanted, despite his massive size.

Optimus kneeled until his faceplate was closer to Jack. "Long enough. Now, I must ask, what is it that troubles you?" he asked, ignoring the gravel that had once been a boulder

Jack looked down in shame. "Jack," Optimus said. "I promise that I will not become angry at you."

Jack looked up at the Autobot leader. "You swear?" he asked.

Optimus nodded, and Jack sighed. "Okay, first, on the train today, three armed men from that group MECH snuck aboard, and killed the soldier that was guarding the D.Y.N.G.U.S, and tried to kill Raf and Miko."

Optimus's gaze hardened when Jack said they threatened to kill the children. "But I stopped them" he said. "I-I, Optimus, I killed them, all three of them. It was easy, so easy," a sob escaped Jack's lips as tears began to fall from his eyes again as he bowed his head.

Optimus placed a servo under Jacks chin and lifted his head back up. "Jack, you are not the first to have been forced to kill when you weren't ready. While I do understand your pain, and have great sympathy for you, the only way for you to grow past the pain, is to accept that you had no choice. These men would have gravely hurt you and the others had you not acted."

"I know Optimus," Jack said, "but that's not what is bothering me. What's bothering me is how easy it was. They never stood a chance, and I killed them all in cold blood."

Optimus simply nodded. There was nothing he could say that would ease the boy's guilt, except to listen. Sometimes that's all that was needed.

"But Optimus," Jack started, "there's something else that's been bothering me, something I've been meaning to tell you for a while." His voice was shaking slightly, and he felt light headed. This would be the first time he told someone without them having seen his powers first.

"Jack," Optimus said, sensing the hesitation in the boy's voice. "If you don't feel you are ready to tell me, I will not force you to."

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "I made up my mind when Wheeljack left to tell you. Things have just been busy lately."

Jack took a deep breath. "Optimus, I'm not human."

He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as he expected a loud demand of explanation from Optimus. When none came, he opened his eyes and looked to see a slightly shocked look on the Primes faceplate, but nothing else.

"You're not… human?" Optimus asked, confused by both the boy's statement and his own question.

Jack shook his head. "I'm not, I don't know what I am either. All I know is that I arrived here as an infant in a small starship and was adopted by a human couple. As far as I know, this was the only thing of mine that was in the ship with me," he said as he pulled the necklace off and showed the pendant to Optimus.

Optimus examined it from a far, but could see nothing uniquely special about it. "So, that is how you did that?" he asked, motioning to the pile of rubble.

Jack nodded and began to explain everything about what he could do and what he had done over the past few weeks since meeting the bots. Optimus simply listened to it all, nodding occasionally from time to time.

Finally, Jack finished explaining and took a deep breath. "So, now that you know, are you going to tell the others?" he asked nervously.

Optimus thought for a moment, thinking hard, before answering. "No, Jack I won't. While I am disappointed that you would lie to us, I also understand your reasoning for doing so. As far as I am concerned though, you have long since earned my trust. Even after the events of today, I believe you are worth trusting."

Jack smiled in relief. "Oh, thank you Optimus. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"However Jack," Optimus continued, "I will expect you to eventually tell the others. This is not something you can keep a secret, no matter how hard you try."

Jack nodded in understanding. He would eventually tell the others, and explain who he was. They might be upset he lied to them, but in the end they would understand, and Jack was confident they would still trust him. Of course, Jack had to be sure he was ready to tell them first, but hopefully that day would be soon.

**A/N: Well that got brutal. The fight with the MECH soldiers was originally intended to be far more brutal, but I realized it would have made things from a plot perspective, even more difficult. So I cut down on the violence of the deaths. So now Optimus knows, and won't force Jack to tell the others. Don't expect any of the others to find out any time soon. That is quite a few chapters away.**** Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and, as always, review with critique and PM me for plot ideas or questions.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Speed Metal

_Two weeks since the events of Convoy…_

Jack stood in the empty desert dunes, the wind blowing dust across the smooth curves of the dunes.

"Hello!?" he yelled. "Anyone there?" The only answer was the sound of the wind blowing across the desert floor.

He turned, looking for signs of anyone or anything, when a voice caught his attention. "Hello child," a voice said, though it was greatly distorted by the wind.

Jack whirled towards the voice to see a mysterious figure, his form blurred by the sand. "Who are you? Where am I?" he demanded.

The figure seemed to shake his head in disappointment. "Can't even remember your own father can you boy? Then again, what would I expect from a disappointment like you?" He couldn't make out the voice, though the tone was clearly mocking.

"You aren't my father!" Jack yelled.

The figure chuckled. "How would you know? You're just a killer wearing a human skin. A monster with no regards for life," he stated.

"You're wrong! I'm no killer!" he screamed, slicing his hand through the air.

The figure chuckled again. "Oh really, and I suppose these men just died on their own?" As the words left his mouth, three figures, the men Jack had killed, formed, surrounding him.

Jack was horrified, as each one was in the condition they're bodies had been in when they died, two of them wearing masks. One had a caved in chest, the other's head was rolling casually from side to side as if only loosely held in place. The last one had no mask, his empty eyes stared at Jack, but the two neatly burned holes in his forehead caught his attention most.

All three slowly began to approach, whispering vicious curses towards him.

_"Murderer!"_

_"Killer!"_

_"Monster!"_

_"Alien!"_

"N-no!" Jack screamed as he tried to step back. His step froze in place and he felt weak, weaker than he'd ever been before.

The three dead men continued to approach him, hissing their curses. "I'm not a killer! I'm not a monster!" Jack yelled as he struggled to break free, the men growing ever closer.

"I'm not a monster! I'M NOT!"

He woke with a start in his bed with a loud scream. He started, panting heavily and looked at his clock. It was two in the morning. It was the same nightmare he'd been having since the train, and it was just as bad every night no matter what he did before or after.

He'd tried talking with Optimus about it again, but the leader said that the only real probable way for the nightmares to stop was to either meet his true father or come to terms with what he did.

The former was likely impossible, leaving the latter as his only option. While he accepted what he'd done was necessary, he also knew he'd overdone it. He could have easily incapacitated the men without much effort, but he'd let his anger get the better of him, and now they were dead.

Jack's brooding was interrupted by a knock on his door. "Jack?" his mother called. "Are you all right?"

"I-I'm fine Mom," he said shakily.

The door opened, and June poked her head in. "You don't sound fine to me," she stated.

Jack just looked away and sighed. "Another nightmare?" she asked as she stepped into his room and sat on the corner of his bed.

Jack just nodded his head. "Still don't want to talk about it?"

"I-I, I'd rather not Mom," Jack said. "Maybe another day, just not today."

"I understand," she said and embraced Jack in a hug. "Just remember, if you ever need to talk about it, I'm here for you, okay Jack?"

Jack pulled out of her embrace and nodded. "Okay Mom."

June smiled before yawning. "Well, I'm going back to bed. You need anything, water, cup of warm milk?"

Jack chuckled half-heartedly. "I'm fine Mom," he said.

"Okay," she said as she stepped into the doorway before turning back to face Jack. "Goodnight Jack."

"Goodnight Mom," he responded. She smiled and closed the door behind her. Jack fell back onto his pillow, his hands on his face. He'd had a repeat of this scenario almost every night for the past two weeks, and each time he wished so much he could tell Mom what happened, but if he did, she would know about the Bots, something he would never do. After what had happened, he wanted to make sure his mother stayed as far away from that part of his life as possible. She had enough to worry about without worrying about him being involved in an interplanetary war with a race of sentient robots.

Jack sighed and pulled his sheets over him. Now was not the time for thinking about such things, and, slowly but surely, Jack fell back into a restless sleep.

_Later that day…_

Jack hopped on Arcee as the bell rang, eager to get away from school. He didn't even have a shift at the K.O. Burger that day. Truthfully, his work hours there had shortened significantly, and Jack was considering quitting. The money was hardly helpful at home, and if he quit, he could spend more time with Arcee and the others.

After the train incident, Jack had quickly apologized to the others for snapping, and they had quickly forgotten about it. Even Raf and Miko seemed to have forgotten Jack's show of anger aboard the train, leaving Jack as the only one still haunted by the experience.

Jack shook his head. Such thoughts were to be thought of later in private. Right now, he should enjoy the ride to base with Arcee. This was always his favorite part of the day, and even though she wouldn't admit it, Jack had a feeling she enjoyed their rides too.

Currently, Arcee was navigating the maze of streets that defined Jasper. Despite its relatively small size, there were quite a few intersections in the town, and it was here that Arcee came to a stop.

"Jack?" a voice called and Jack turned to see, to his surprise, Sierra. He had known the girl since elementary school, and out of everyone that he knew, she had seen the most of Jack's powers, though he'd managed to convince her that she had seen things when she claimed he'd saved the bus.

Jack would also be lying if he said he didn't have a small crush on the girl. She had stood up for him a few times when he was younger and bullied by Vince, who still antagonized the boy. Right now, the red head was standing on the side walk with a friend, her school books clasped against her chest.

"S-sierra?" he responded in kind.

The girl looked over his bike. "That's… a nice bike. Where'd you get it from?"

Jack rubbed the back of his helmet. "Oh… you know, I found it online."

Sierra nodded. "Would you mind if I took a ride?" she asked.

"I…uh, sure, anytime," he said hesitantly.

Arcee's mirror flicked towards Jack. "I'm your guardian kid, not your wingman."

Jack sighed and was about to tell Sierra that today wouldn't work, when a large muscle car with flame decals pulled up next to him. Driving it was that cocky jerk, Vince. "Hey hey, small world," he said in a mocking tone.

"I'm having a conversation," Jack said, gesturing to Sierra on the other side of Vince's car.

Vince rolled his eyes. "Cheer captain here might enjoy watching you take on four wheels of muscle car," Vince stated, while Sierras friend whispered something into her ear, causing them both to giggle slightly.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Are you challenging me? To a race?" he asked in disbelief.

"You catch on quick ponch. What do you say?" Vince stated. Jack inwardly sighed. He saved the jerk's life, and he still bullied him years later.

"Ugh," Jack said, as Sierra gave him an expecting look.

"Well…" Jack started, before the light turned green. Arcee took off before he could answer, causing him to grab hold of the bars.

"You-you didn't let me answer," he said as she drove away.

"Nope," she stated plainly.

"Arcee we can smoke him," Jack complained. He didn't want to race to impress Sierra. He wanted to put that arrogant jerk in his place, without burning his brains out.

"Yep," she said curtly.

He sighed. "You just don't get it," he moaned.

"I don't make the rules Jack," she explained. "Optimus does, and rule number one, in case you missed it, never abuse power, even horsepower."

Jack visibly flinched as she reminded him of that rule. Ever since Optimus found out about Jack's abilities, that rule had been applied to Jack's life as well.

Jack sighed again as Vince pulled up beside him. "Vince," he started, "maybe racing isn't such a good id-" He was cut off by a laugh from Vince.

He turned to look at the bully, not really surprised he was laughing at him. "Figured," he said in a mocking tone. "You ride around like your bike's something special." The bully put on a cruel smile. "But it's just a clunky trunky bike." He paused. "And ugly."

Jack felt Arcee bristle at that comment. The light turned green, and Vince did a burn out before doing a U-turn around Jack, heading back to probably hit on Sierra and her friend.

Jack coughed away the smoke while Arcee spoke. "That's it. The yahoo's going down." And took off after Vince, causing Jack to struggle to hold on.

"Whoa!" he yelled. "What happened to rule number one?"

"It gets bent," she stated. "Just this once."

Jack pulled up behind Vince. "Ready when you are Vinny," he said confidently, revving the engine.

Vince scowled. "Dirt road by Trucker's Ranch, one hour," he said.

_One hour later…_

Jack and Arcee were parked next to Vince along a long stretch of empty road.

"From here to the mile marker," he explained. "Ready, go!" And he took off, leaving Arcee and Jack in the dust.

The pair took off after him, and Jack mumbled. "Well that was fair."

Vince easily pulled ahead, maintaining his lead, as Arcee and Jack began to catch up to him. Things were going slow, and Vince remained in the lead.

"Uh Arcee?" he asked

"Winning isn't enough Jack." she paused for a moment. "You want to make him cry," she stated sadistically, causing Jack to shiver slightly. Arcee could be terrifying when she wanted to be. Jack was just glad he'd never earned that fury from her.

Arcee's speed doubled, and she took off, quickly catching up to Vince, cruising alongside his car. The bully looked to his side in surprise, and Jack gave him a mock salute before Arcee took off again, pulling into a wheelie as they passed Vince and rocketed ahead.

They passed the mile marker, and Jack whooped in victory while Arcee blared her horns "Outstanding!" he yelled in delight. "Hey?" he asked questioningly. "Now might be a good time to offer Sierra a once around the block?" he said hopefully.

"Don't push it," she warned. Jack sighed. Well, one out of two wasn't bad, right?

_Aboard the Nemesis…_

"You have been street racing among the humans again, haven't you!?" Starscream demanded as Knockout casually walked next to Lord Megatron, who was lying on a berth in a coma. He'd been that way since the space bridge explosion, and Knockout was supposed to be the doctor in charge of his recovery, along with his assistant Breakdown. That was why they'd been brought here, but Knockout seemed content to let Breakdown do cosmetic work while he ran around on the planet's surface.

"I'm not only an automobile," he stated coolly. "I'm an automobile enthusiast."

"I do strive to run a tight ship Knockout. I would strongly suggest you seek my permission before you decide to disappear on one of your… jots," Starscream warned.

"No worries, Herr commandant," Knockout replied casually.

Starscream scowled. "It is lord to you," he growled.

"Only if Megatron takes a nose dive," Knockout said calmly.

Starscream snarled. "The day our master emerges from stasis, I will graciously relinquish the title." He paused before continuing. "But I believe that that outcome is unlikely, given the quality of medical care around here."

There was silence as the two glared at each other, before Starscream turned and walked away. "So keep buffing," he said as he walked away. "We do want Megatron to look his best for the memorial service." And the seeker left the room, the doors slamming shut behind him with a hiss.

"Buff this," Knockout said while gesturing rudely in Starscream's general direction. He turned around with a laugh. "I don't see how he expects us to take him serious, what with the fact that he got his aft handed to him by a human."

Breakdown, his large, blue assistant, looked at him quizzically. "You didn't see the footage!?" Knockout asked, amazed. "Starscream got flung around like a ragdoll by a human child. How pathetic is that!?" he asked.

Breakdown snickered as he got back to work. Knockout, on the other hand, began working on repairing the scratch on his paint from his latest street race.

_Back at the Autobot Base…_

Jack and Arcee rolled into base before Jack got off. Arcee rolled next to him for a few feet, before assuming her 20 foot tall robot mode, lights glinting off her.

She stopped and looked at Jack. "Not a word to anyone," she warned.

Jack smiled as he took his helmet off. "Our little secret," he promised with a wink. Satisfied, Arcee walked off into base.

Suddenly, Miko ran up from behind Jack, startling him as she made an attempt at imitating a motorcycle engine. "And the winner is Jack!" she said excitedly.

A shocked and worried expression appeared on the teen's face. "How did you find out?" he asked hurriedly.

She looked at him with an amazed look. "You're kidding right?" she asked.

"The whole school knows how you knocked the pants off that blow hard bully Vince," Raf explained as he walked up to the two.

Jack hurriedly pulled the two into a huddle. "You guys have got to keep this a secret, got it? Especially from Optimus. He's been on me a lot about being responsible ever since he found out about my powers," Jack explained.

The two nodded in understanding, and he let them go. "Good, now, who wants to watch TV?" he asked.

_The next day, at Jasper High…_

Jack walked down the steps of the high school, running a hand through his hair as he sighed. The whole school had been abuzz about what happened between Vince and Jack and how he had beat him badly. People kept asking him all sorts of questions about how he beat Vince, if he was going to race him again, and, of course, if they could ride his motorcycle.

Any other kid would have been in heaven. Jack hated every second of it. He always tried to stay hidden at school, and being the center of attention was horrible for him, torturous even.

He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Sierra standing there. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied

"I've been looking for you," she said. "The race, how great was that? It was like, yeah, go Jack," she said nervously.

Jack let a small smile grace his lips before he rubbed his head in embarrassment. "It was nothing," he said humbly.

Vince bumped into his shoulder from behind. "You got that right!" he said angrily as he turned to face Jack. "If you think you can run with the big boys," he pointed a finger at him, "the circuit. Tonight. 11 PM," he said ominously.

Jack looked from Sierra to Vince, before smiling halfheartedly.

_Later…_

"You agreed to what!?" Arcee demanded as they drove to base.

Jack sighed. He knew he'd regret this. "It was some sort of secret racing club, and I didn't have a choice. Sierra was standing right there," he explained.

"You always have a choice Jack," Arcee lectured, again causing Jack to flinch. How did this femme know to say all the right things to make him feel guilty?

"And what part of 'just this once' did you not understand?" she asked angrily.

"I know. I'm sorry… But we're on, right?" he asked hesitantly, though he already knew the answer.

"We are not on," Arcee stated, ending the conversation. Jack sat back slightly in the seat, disappointed but not surprised. Well there was one other option…

_Autobot headquarters…_

Raf was playing a racing game on the console in base, concentrating intently on the race.

"Raf?" Jack asked, causing the boy to lose focus and crash before he turned to his friend. "Is there any way I could borrow Bumblebee for, like, an hour?" he asked nervously.

Bee whirred and beeped indignantly as if the idea of asking if he could be borrowed was offensive.

"Jack," Raf said. "You know racing is against the rules. What if Optimus found out?"

Jack winced. The last thing he needed to do was think about the sort of reaction the Prime would have to Jack street racing.

Bee and Jack both sighed or beeped in disappointment at Raf's burst of responsibility.

"But Raf," Miko interrupted, "Jack's got to get the girl," she explained, causing the twelve year old to look at her funny.

"Whoa, whoa," Jack said. "Who said I was doing this for Sierra?" he asked.

"Well duh," Miko said. "Why else would you have decided to beat Vince?"

Jack shrugged. "That's it right there. I wanted to put that smug jerk in his place. Sierra's nice and all, but she and I have a… complicated past," Jack explained.

Raf thought about everything he heard. "Well…" he started.

"Come on Raf," Jack pleaded. "Just this once?"

_The Circuit…_

Jack and Bumblebee pulled into the empty canal that functioned as the circuit. Various customized muscle and sports cars were scattered around, their drivers chatting with other drivers or their girlfriends.

Jack ignored them all as he and Bumblebee pulled up next to Vince. The bully turned in surprise at the muscle car, as Jack rolled the window down. "Bike's in the shop," he explained.

Vince set his face back into a scowl and looked ahead. Jack furrowed his brow and looked forward. He failed to notice the familiar red European sports car in the rearview mirror. The flag girl stepped out in front of the cars, and Jack was surprised to see it was Sierra. She waved shyly at Jack before preparing the flags.

"Racers are you ready?" the announcer asked. "5…4…" Everyone's engines began to rev. "3…2…1!" And the cars shot off like rockets down the circuit.

Jack and Bee quickly pulled ahead, Vince behind them, as well as the red sports car. Suddenly, the red car began to ram Vince repeatedly. Bee started beeping franticly though Jack couldn't understand him.

"What was that Bee?" he asked as he turned around in his seat. "Wait. I know that car," he said when Bee yanked control from him, causing him to yelp in surprise.

Recently, Miko had been taken to Greece by Bulkhead in an attempt to get her to work on a history project. It failed as they were attacked by an old Con rival of Bulkhead's. Jack hadn't been present for the aftermath as he'd been having another practice session, but Miko had shown him the pictures she'd taken while talking about how cool breaking into a museum had been.

He was a little worried about that last bit actually.

The yellow muscle car and red sports car began speeding along the curved wall of the canal, Jack looking around frantically. In any other condition he would take the Con out, but with Bee around that wasn't an option.

He looked in the mirror and saw blasters unfold from either side of the sports car and aim at them, charging. It began to unleash a barrage of energon bolts, causing Bee to take evasive maneuvers and give Jack mild motion sickness.

"Now I remember why I prefer motorcycles," he muttered.

Bumblebee, deciding he needed to get the teen to safety, drove up the wall and used it to jump onto the highway, the Con in close pursuit.

"Can you lose him Bee?" Jack asked as the Con continued to fire at them. His answer was a series of beeps and whistles.

"What did you say?" he asked, receiving more beeps and whirrs as a reply. "I hope that means yes, 'cause I'd rather not have to call base for backup," he said nervously.

_Meanwhile, back at base…_

Miko and Raf were in the middle of an intense racing game, Bulkhead watching eagerly. Optimus was in his quarters filling out paperwork, and Ratchet was busy cataloguing the energon stockpile. They heard the sound of metal footsteps and noticed Arcee.

The femme looked around for a moment before asking. "Anyone seen Jack?"

Raf, Miko, and Bulkhead all froze at her question and looked between each other quickly.

"Not since…" Miko paused for a moment trying to come up with an excuse. "We last saw him," she answered quickly.

Arcee's eyes narrowed. "They're racing aren't they?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Just this once," Raf said nervously.

Arcee turned to Bulkhead. "Did you know about this?" she asked the Wrecker.

Bulkhead turned away for a moment. "No," he said, before noticing the look in Arcee's eyes. "Maybe. A little."

Arcee sighed in frustration when the terminal activated, showing Bee's ID tag. The scout began to rapidly beep a message over the channel.

Raf got up from the couch. "You're being chased by Knockout?" he asked. Bee beeped what sounded like a yes.

Miko stood up, fist clenched. "That sounds like a Decepticon."

"Bee, do not engage. Your first priority is to keep Jack safe," she ordered before turning to head after them. "Before I get my hands on him," she muttered darkly.

_Back with Bee and Jack…_

Jack shivered as he heard Arcee's threat over the com. He was touched she was concerned, but given how she sounded furious as well, he was pretty sure she meant her threat.

Knockout continued to tailgate the two before Bee began to dump out an oil slick, coating the road in the slippery stuff. Knockout quickly lost control and began to spin out of control, before coming to a stop.

"Slick," Jack quipped. The pair quickly drove off before finding a bridge. Bee went off road and pulled under the bridge, hoping to lose Knockout. Bee shut off his lights, and the two waited in silence.

They heard the rumble of Knockout's engine as he pulled onto the bridge above them and did the same, shutting his lights and engine off to listen for the Bot. For several seconds, neither side dared to make a move. The entire area was dead silent. There was a sudden clicking noise before Knockout's engine flared to life, and he drove off.

"I think we lost him," Jack said in relief. He looked forward and, to his utter disappointment, saw the telltale headlights of Vince's modified muscle car. "You got to be kidding me," Jack cursed as Vince got out of his car and slammed the door.

"Darby!" he yelled as he approached the duo, slamming his fists together as he did.

"Vince you have to get out of here, "Jack warned. "You win. Congratulations. Now, go."

The redhead slammed his hands on the hood. "No, start her back up loser. We're finishing this race!" he commanded angrily. Jack groaned at the bully's anger issues. "Don't want to finish the race, fine. Then we got something to settle right here, right-" Vince was cutoff as a large, metal hand reached down and plucked him off the ground, Vince yelling in surprise.

Jack struggled with Bee's seatbelt, trying to get it off so he could rescue the bully… again. Bee was resistant though and kept beeping at him, likely telling him to stay hidden. Jack heard the sound of Knockout transforming and driving off and cursed as Bee finally let him go. He rushed to the top of the bridge, but Knockout was long gone by now.

Bee pulled up behind Jack, who turned to the scout. "Bee, come on he's getting away!" he yelled, and the scout began quickly beeping at him. "I can't understand you!" he yelled, slightly too loud.

He rubbed the back of his head while he thought. "Look, how about you honk once for bad news, twice for good news." Bee promptly honked twice, and Jack looked over to see, to his relief and horror, Arcee and Bulkhead approaching.

The Bots transformed before him, and Arcee stood in front, hands on her hips. Before she could begin lecturing him, Jack interrupted her. "I know Arcee, I'm in a lot of trouble, but right now Knockout just snatched Vince and is taking him God knows where."

The femme raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What would he want with Vince?" she asked.

"He probably thought he was Bumblebee's human friend," Jack sighed angrily. "I'm not even Bumblebee's human friend. Look, that isn't the point. The point is that Vince is in trouble," Jack explained.

"Oh well, tough break for Vince," Bulkhead shrugged, earning an astonished look from everyone, especially Jack.

"Bulkhead!" Jack yelled.

"What?" Bulkhead asked innocently. "I hear the guy's a jerk."

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That might be true, but he's also innocent, and your job, no matter what you want to think, is to protect the innocent! Even Vince doesn't deserve to get crushed by Cons," Jack said.

Arcee looked at the boy, a hint of approval hidden in her optics, before she collapsed into vehicle form. "Hop on," she ordered.

_Back at base…_

"They should have called by now," Raf said worriedly. "Do you think Bumblebee's okay?"

"Don't worry Raf. Jack and Bulkhead would never let anything happen to Bee," she said encouragingly.

The sound of Optimus's footsteps caught their attention, and the two turned to see the Autobot leader walking in from the hallway. "We should just tell Optimus the truth," Raf whispered

"Absolutely not," Miko whispered back. "We made a deal. Just act completely normal," she ordered, and the two turned their attention back to the Prime.

Optimus approached the two. "Raf, Miko, do either of you know where the others have gone?" he asked.

**"**Why, no, sir. We do not know," Miko said stiffly

"Miko is correct. We do not know," Raf agreed, his voice cracking.

"Why would _we_ know?" she asked even more stiffly. It was a minor miracle that with lying skills this bad, the two hadn't exposed Jack or the Bots to the public.

Optimus raised a brow, in suspicion. "Hmm..."

_Jasper, Nevada…_

The small convoy of Bots raced down the highway, searching for Knockout and Vince. There had been no sign of the Con since they'd begun searching for him. The three came to a stop at a stop sign for a moment when they saw Knockout race by.

Jack did a double take, before he and Arcee raced after him, followed by Bulkhead and Bumblebee. They raced after the Con down the street until he turned sharply into an almost abandoned parking lot, a single beater parked in the corner.

"On your guard boys," Arcee ordered as she fell back into line with the others. "It could be a trap."

"Remember, no shooting" Jack reminded them, and the two mechs took off.

Arcee pulled over. "Speaking of safety, here's where you get off."

Jack sighed inwardly, before stepping off of Arcee. She raced off after the two while Jack stood there. He turned and looked through the buildings, listening and watching. He looked up and saw Arcee gracefully scale a nearby water tower for a tactical advantage before she flipped up top and landed gracefully atop it.

Jack smiled. "That's my girl," he said. The sound of blaster fire and the collapse of stone caught his attention, and he turned to see Bulkhead and Bee engaging a large blue mech with an orange faceplate. This had to be Breakdown, Knockout's infamous partner and Bulkhead's rival. The two mechs engaged him while Knockout remained parked in vehicle mode.

"Now, where is the two wheeler?" he muttered to himself. As if in answer, a large, blue and pink foot slammed itself onto his hood, and Arcee began punching his hood. "Hey, watch the paint!" he yelled before taking off.

Arcee managed to hold on as he barreled out of the parking lot. Jack watched them drive by before Knockout made a sharp turn, knocking the femme off of him. She slid across the pavement, ready to go after him, when Breakdown's servo latched onto her shoulder and flung her back into the lot.

Jack looked back as Knockout drove off. He knew what he had to do and looked to make sure there were no onlookers. Confident that his secret wasn't in any danger, he took off, sprinting after Knockout, quickly catching up and tailing the Con.

"What's this?" the Con asked in amazement. "So you want to race, hm? Let's see you keep up with maximum overdrive," he initiated it and took off, hitting 250 easy.

Jack saw him start to pull ahead and leapt through the air, twisting as he did, and skidded back against the ground, in front of Knockout.

"Do you have a death wish!?" the Con screamed at the human. Jack didn't move. "Fine, looks like I'm scraping fleshy out of my grill tonight," he muttered in annoyance.

Knockout floored it, barreling towards Jack, who braced himself for the impact. The Con slammed into Jack, whose feet began to dig into the ground, pushing up asphalt and the like. Jack lifted and flung the Con on his side. Knockout let out a yelp of pain as Jack jumped on the mad doctor's side.

He reached down, shoved his fist through the door, and ripped it off, prompting another yell of outrage from the medic. Jack pulled Vince out of the car and flung him over his shoulder before jumping off the Con and setting the unconscious boy down on the ground. He turned back to Knockout, who transformed angrily.

The Con ran a hand over the arm where his door use to be and glared at Jack with contempt. "Do you know how hard that is to replace!" he yelled and charged at the human.

He aimed to grab Jack, but Jack had gotten used to the tactic and dodged his swipes. On Knockout's third attempt Jack grabbed his servo and twisted on his heel, flinging the Con into the side of a mesa. He was stuck to the wall for a moment, before he fell back to the ground in a daze.

He stood up shakily and saw the bully at his feet. He picked him up to salvage some sort of victory, but he heard the sound of a truck horn and turned around just in time for Optimus to ram the Con. He went flying and landed in the dirt, moaning.

When he got up, he saw Optimus and transformed, driving off. The whole time, his vehicle mode was blaring "your door is ajar".

Optimus transformed and grabbed Vince before he hit the ground. He looked him over for any visible injuries and looked to Jack.

The alien teen sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Optimus, this was my fault. Don't blame the others," he said. He'd been stupid over this whole event and let his more teenage instincts take hold. Because of that someone else got hurt, and Jack had sworn after the train to never let another person come to harm because of him.

Optimus scowled, or did his best impression of a scowl, before speaking. "For now our focus shall be on returning this boy home, as well as sending you to base. Explanations shall come later."

Jack was silent. There wasn't anything left to say or do except anticipate the coming lecture from Optimus.

_Aboard the Nemesis…_

"Knockout! Was I not clear!?" Starscream snarled at the medic. "You have defied my orders yet again."

"My mistake, commander Starscream," Knockout said quickly. "But, I've learned my lesson… and paid the price," he said, rubbing the area where his door had once been. It would take days to replace it and hours of washing and buffing to get the scratches out.

Starscream growled at his use of the title commander. "It. Is. LORD!" he screamed at the medic. "And you have paid when I say you have paid." With that he raised a single talon at the Con.

Knockout began stepping back slightly, while Starscream chuckled darkly. "Do not worry. Your punishment shall be merely… cosmetic," he said with an evil glint.

"No not the finish, anything but the finish!" he screamed in fear. His screams of terror echoed through the halls of the Nemesis as well as the sound of metal screeching along metal.

_The next day…_

Jack walked towards Arcee in the school parking lot, helmet in hand. The lecture from Optimus had been less painful than he thought. Jack had taken full responsibility for everything, and Optimus in the end felt as though the experience had been enough punishment for him.

Jack had dropped Vince off in his car, and he would only assume what happened was a dream. Personally, Jack was glad it was over. He was really getting tired of saving Vince.

"Hey Jack," Sierra said as she walked up to him, hands clasped together.

"Hey Sierra," he said dismissively.

"So how about that ride?" she asked delicately.

Jack sighed. "No," he stated as he got on Arcee.

"Wait. What?" she asked.

"You heard me," he said and drove off, leaving the girl standing on the sidewalk, dumbfounded. Had the guy on the lowest rung of the social ladder rejected her? She furrowed her eyebrows. Looks like she had a new challenge.

Jack and Arcee drove to base in silence. Arcee had been willing to allow a small drive with Sierra for Jack's sake and had been shocked when he flatly rejected her. Now, the femme couldn't get her mind off of why he had rejected the girl he had an obvious crush on.

She broke the silence. "So Jack," she began, "you know I would have let you give her a ride right?"

Jack shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm over her." He was silent after that, and none of Arcee's prodding would get him to answer her. So after a time, she gave up. He clearly didn't want to talk about it.

Jack looked at the sun as they drove, blissfully letting it soak him. He had rejected Sierra because, in the end, she would never stick with Jack, never understand him. Jack had decided after last night, after rescuing Vince, that if he was to ever be involved in a relationship, it wouldn't be with a pretty face gossip like Sierra. He needed to find someone else to be with, someone who he could share his secret with.

The only question on his mind was…who?

**A/N: And here it is folks, chapter 7. I initially had some difficulty with this chapter, until I received help from a follower named RexBlaster, who helped me find this episode. After I found it, this chapter became much easier to write. Next chapter is Predatory, and for those who will ask, no, Arcee will not find out about Jack's powers in Predatory or Crisscross. The chapter where she finds out is going to be far more emotional and hopefully strengthen the romance I have planned. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed and remember to review with critique and PM me with plot questions or ideas. So long.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Predatory

_Three days after the street races…_

Jack slapped at his neck as another mosquito tried to take a sip of his blood. So far they'd had little success; after all indestructible skin was difficult to pierce. Didn't mean it wasn't annoying to have them buzzing around him twenty-four seven.

"Really should have packed some insect repellant," he complained as he followed Arcee through the forest. "The mosquitoes out here on this routine recon are the size of vampire bats," he said as he caught one in his hands. He smiled in triumphant as he crushed the bugger in his hand.

This was technically Jack's first official mission that he had gone on that wasn't last minute. True it was just a scouting mission, but it was one step closer to being able to assist the Bots. Jack hoped to make a good first impression when things weren't trying to kill him so he could participate in later excursions.

Arcee smirked at him as she examined her scanner. "Quite the outdoorsman," she quipped with a small smile, "aren't you, Jack?"

"You wouldn't be making fun of my survival kit would you?" he asked jokingly.

"Maybe," she said with a smile.

"I may not have metal skin Arcee," he said, inwardly laughing, "but in a pinch I can use my Swiss army knife and magnesium fire starter to cook up a quick meal," he said confidently. He really had no need for the kit whatsoever, but if something did ever go wrong, he could use it as a cover to hide his abilities. Plus, with the Autobots you never knew what situation to expect.

"You have your tools," Arcee said. "And I have mine," she finished, gesturing to the scanner in her servo.

At that moment, the scanner let out a shrill beeping, and Arcee examined it. "That's odd" she said, looking at the device. "Ratchet's satellite scans were accurate, but subterranean energon deposits don't cause this kind of surge."

She started down the hill, and Jack followed quickly. Last thing he wanted was to get lost in the woods, especially with the sun setting and the clouds threatening rain. Jack could already feel the slight energy drain he always felt when the sun was blocked or gone. The boy had figured out years ago that his powers were somehow tied to it and always felt the drain, especially at night. His powers would be slightly weakened on cloudy days, but only slightly, and they always recovered quickly.

Now though, it was particularly bad because he'd spent his time before the mission in an intense training session and had had little time to "recharge" as it were. In fact, he was still tired from the session, though he was still stronger than your average human.

Jack and Arcee trudged through the forest of trees, heading towards the mysterious energon signal that Ratchet had detected. Jack started to notice that as they grew closer, the trees seemed to becoming sparser and their bark blackened.

Arcee came to a sudden stop as her scanner started beeping again. She looked up as Jack caught up, and the two were shocked to see a large gash in the ground, extending to the left and right for hundreds of feet. All the trees in the immediate vicinity had been burned to blackened stumps, and the ground in the center of the gash had hardened and had the appearance of black glass.

"What happened?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Crash landing," Arcee explained, looking over the wreckage. Jack looked over the gash again in wonder.

Was this what it looked like when he arrived on Earth? Had his human parents been driving by when he crashed and found this large blackened furrow with a small white ship at the end? If so, he could understand why they'd been afraid he'd be taken away. It was hard to believe anyone could fail to notice the massive crash before him.

"Stay behind me, low and close," Arcee ordered as she began walking into the crash site, Jack tailing her.

The two began walking along the side of the gash, when Arcee took off at a quick jogging pace. She began stopping behind each tree, scanning for any signs of life. Jack imitated her, though the thick foliage of the forest made it difficult for his X-ray vision to work properly. He shook his head. Too much to process at a time.

Arcee came to a sudden stop at the edge of a crater, crouching by a tree. Jack walked up beside her and followed her gaze. In the center of the crater was a large ship dug into the ground, covered in scratches, dents, and burn marks.

"Autobot or Decepticon?" Jack asked as the ship was clearly Cybertronian.

"Can't tell," she answered.

She shifted her arm into a blaster. "Wait here," she ordered.

She stood up and began circling the crater, as Jack sat crouched by the tree, waiting. He tried seeing through the metal, but the walls of the ship were thick, and the inside dark. It wasn't lead, but he couldn't make out what was inside the ship either. He sighed. Guess he'd have to wait for Arcee to get back.

Arcee approached the ship, walking slowly by its side, blaster raised. She paused as she approached the entrance of the ship. The entrance was open, and she stopped, waiting for a few precious moments to listen for any sign of the occupant.

When she heard none, she spun in front of the opening, blaster pointed in the entrance. There was no sign of any Cybertronian, Autobot or Decepticon, and she lowered her blaster slightly. She began walking in slowly, scanning both sides for a possible ambush.

Jack was waiting for his partner-slash-guardian to emerge from the crashed ship. He suddenly spotted the blue and pink figure of Arcee along the side, her servo on the plating of the ship, But something was wrong. She seemed injured. Jack jumped down the hill and ran towards her.

"A-Arcee," he called in worry.

Arcee stood by the ship, helm facing down. Memories flashed through her mind.

_A black and purple eight legged bot._

_ A raised blade. _

_A quick flash and the sound of metal on metal. _

_Energon splashing the walls._

Arcee shook her head to forget the memories. If that bot was here…

"Arcee!" Jack called. "What's wrong?

She heard her charge calling her and looked up at him. "I know who this ship belongs to," she said solemnly.

She stood up straight and placed a servo on her com. "Arcee to base, I need a ground bridge ASAP." Nothing but static.

"Wait. Wait. Why?" Jack asked. "Whose ship is this?"

Arcee ignored the teen and tried again. "Arcee to base, do you read?" Again, static.

"Scrap," she cursed as she began to pace. "Com link's dead. Ship has to be transmitting a hyper-com sequence scrambling pulse," she said as she began to walk away.

Jack followed her. "Arcee!" he called again. "You're kinda freaking me out here," he admitted. He'd never seen the femme act this way. Whoever this ship belonged to must have been bad.

Arcee approached the edge of the crater and stopped. "Wait here," she ordered strictly. Jack stopped, and the femme walked into the woods, leaving him by the ship.

She walked through the woods, examining the trees as she passed them. Deep slashes were etched into them, something no Earth creature could do. She looked down and saw tracks in the dirt. She knelt and looked down at them. The tracks were made by a thin, four-legged being and continued on up the path.

Arcee looked up and was hit with another flash of memory.

_She was in a prison cell on Cybertron, her arms restrained. The only light in the room came from above and left the rest of the room in darkness. Arcee struggled to break free, to get away, when she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps._

_She looked up to see a figure cloaked by shadows, only their purple, hate-filled eyes visible to her._

_There was the sound of a weapon unsheathing, and a single pointed talon was raised towards her faceplate._

_Arcee struggled to pull her faceplate away, but it was useless. The claw came to rest on her cheek, below her left optic._

_The memory faded to black as the sound of metal screeching against metal could be heard, and Arcee let out a blood curdling scream._

Arcee returned to the present, venting slightly as the painful memory passed. If this was the same bot, the same femme…

"Arcee?" Jack said from her side.

The femme turned to her charge in surprise, a worried look on her face. Without a word she collapsed into vehicle form in front of him.

"Climb on," she ordered.

Jack shrugged and did as he was told. Ever since she'd gone aboard the ship she'd been acting strange, jumpy, nervous, almost… afraid? Jack shook his head. Arcee was many things, but she never was afraid, never showed it. Even so, something was bothering her, and he'd find out what.

Without warning, the femme took off before he could grab his helmet from her sub-space. She began racing through the forest, dodging trees and jumping over hills, all at extreme speeds.

Jack let out a few panicked yells as she navigated her way through the forest, and he saw a large ravine ahead. "Arcee!?" he asked nervously. Without even slowing, the Autobot jumped it, Jack letting out a scream as they flew over the ravine and landed safely on the other side.

She came to a screeching halt, and Jack let go, panting slightly. "Okay, was that really necessary?" he asked, annoyed.

Jack got off, and Arcee ignored his question. "Arcee to base," she tried over the com again "Scrap!" she cursed as she began to roll off.

"Look," Jack tried to explain. "I've seen danger before-"

Arcee cut him off. "Wait here," she ordered. "I mean it this time."

Jack snorted in annoyance. "Okay, first you shut me out, and now you're ditching me?" he asked angrily. He probably shouldn't, but the femme was acting weird, weirder than usual that is.

Arcee transformed and looked down at him. "I thought I was your partner?" he asked.

Arcee shook her head. "No, Jack, you're a kid," she stated. "You're only supposed to be here because it was a no risk scenario." She stomped towards him. "Got it?" she asked bitterly.

She transformed and drove back to the ship, leaving Jack standing there confused. She jumped back over the ravine and began to disappear.

Jack shook his head and began to follow. He might have been a kid to her, but he was more than capable of handling himself. Whoever it was that had Arcee strung up like this, he could handle them, right?

He approached the ravine and looked down. It was easily a thirty foot drop. He looked to the other side, about forty feet away, and snorted. If Arcee thought a single ravine could stop him, well, she didn't know him as well as she thought. He crouched and jumped over the ravine, landing safely on the other side.

He shook his head as a momentary wave of weakness passed over him.

_'Note to self, tone down power use,' _he thought. He looked in the direction Arcee had gone, and began to follow once again.

Arcee sped through the woods at a blistering speed, heading back to the original spot where she found the tracks. Her processor was full of conflicting emotions and thoughts: Anger, confusion, worry, and fear just to name a few. She pushed these all aside. Emotions would just get in the way of what needed to be done.

She came to a stop at the tracks and transformed, arming her blaster. She walked through the forest, senses on full alert, looking from side to side, expecting the femme to appear at any moment. She heard the sound of something burning ahead of her and looked forward.

A tree had been burnt clean through to the stump by a green, acidic substance. Arcee looked at it in horror as more memories returned.

_Blaster fire could be heard everywhere as she ran through the deserted streets of one of the many dead cities of Cybertron. It had likely had a name once, but it had long been lost to the ravages of war._

_"Arcee to delta team," she commed. "Requesting rendezvous coordinates. Do you copy?"_

_"Arcee you lost again?" her partner Tailgate joked over the com."Your sense of direction could use some improvement," he quipped._

_Arcee smiled as she ran, dodging blaster fire. "So could your aim, Tailgate," she retorted as she continued to run. "If you'd tagged that sniper back at the artillery depot, we wouldn't have had to break rank and engage the enemy hand to hand," she lectured._

_She ran into a relatively abandoned plaza with no sign of Con or Bot activity. "Judging by the sound of things, I'm guessing you came out ahead?" he asked in worried tone._

_She walked through the plaza to get to the rendezvous, blaster raised. "Try waiting up for me this time, and I'll give you the blow by blow," she said with a smile. "What's your position?" she asked._

_"About half a click from the depot due north," he answered. "Think you can find it partner?" he asked, the humor evident in his voice._

_"Trust me Tailgate," she said as she lowered her guard. "My navigation abilities are-" her bragging was cut off as a string of thick gooey substance slammed her into a wall with a grunt. She struggled against it, grunting as she tried to break free._

_She looked forward and saw a slim black and purple femme approaching her, before she shot another strand of the stuff at her, obscuring her vision._

_Later Arcee was struggling against the stasis cuffs holding her above the floor. Try as she might, she couldn't break free._

_She heard the sound of steps behind her. The sound of a cool, seductive female voice interrupted her struggles. "Piece of advice," she said as she circled Arcee. "Make yourself comfortable."_

_The femme stopped in front of her before walking forward, slowly raising her talon. "You're going to be here a while," she said sadistically. _

_Arcee tried pulling her faceplate away from the talon, but the cuffs restrained her. The talon stopped on her cheek and slowly drew across it, leaving a deep, burning cut in her faceplate. It sizzled from the acidic touch of her captor. Arcee hung her helm in exhaustion._

Arcee shook herself from the memory and armed her blaster. She wouldn't let that glitch escape. Not this time, not after what she'd done. With her mind cleared, she began moving through the forest faster. The sun was beginning to set, causing the shadows of the trees to grow long and twisted, like deformed hands reaching out to grasp something, anything.

Arcee ran until she came to a stop at the top of the hill and examined the scene before her. To her left was a human campsite, but to her right…

To her right, it was her, the femme that had done so much to her, quickly skittering across the forest floor on her extra legs. Arcee knew she was heading for the human in the tent and sprang into action.

She rushed down the hill, and right as her femme target leapt through the air, Arcee tackled her to the side. The two began struggling and wrestling as they tumbled down the hill. Eventually, they came to the bottom and released each other. Arcee flew and slammed into the wall of a cliff, while the black femme skidded across the ground before standing up on her six legs that sprouted from her back.

As Arcee struggled to her feet, the black femme began to approach. "Arcee," she said with perverse delight. "Small universe," she said.

"Too small… Airachnid," Arcee growled angrily.

"Still holding a grudge?" the spider bot asked nonchalantly while circling Arcee. "The war's been over for mega-cycles."

"Tell that to the Decepticons," Arcee snapped as she took up her fighting position.

"These days I travel solo," Airachnid explained. "In pursuit of my new hobby."

Arcee scowled as she remembered the horrific scene she had seen aboard her ship. In her ship she had seen dozens of alien heads, hung up like some sort of sick trophy case.

"I got a look at your souvenir case," she growled at the femme.

"You mean my trophies?" she asked proudly. "I collect endangered species." She paused for a moment. "Of course, they aren't really endangered until they meet me, and I have a new slot reserved for humanity," she said darkly.

"Not gonna happen," Arcee threatened, and she charged the spider bot.

She tackled Airachnid into the ground and raised her fist to strike. She felt Airachnid's extra legs grab her before she could and fling her back into the cliff side wall, causing dust and rubble to fall. Airachnid quickly got up, rubbing her vocal processor as she did. Arcee stood up as well and shifted both her arms into blasters, firing a barrage of energon blasts at the spider.

Airachnid avoided the blasts with ease and jumped between two trees, the trees groaning in protest under her weight. The femme unleashed several strings of web that tied Arcee's blasters together and grabbed hold of the webbing in her servos. The two struggled in a game of tug of war before Arcee finally managed to rip the Con from the trees. Airachnid landed on the ground with a thud.

Arcee struggled to rip her arms free of the webbing when an idea struck her. Leaning down, she used the sharpened edge of her boot armor to cut through the webbing with ease. She flung it to either side of her before unleashing another barrage of blasts at Airachnid.

The femme shielded her eyes from the blasts for a brief moment before returning fire on Arcee. Arcee charged toward Airachnid, jumping onto a tree branch. Grabbing hold of it, she quickly spun around it, launching herself into the air. She landed on another tree and jumped at Airachnid, delivering a straight kick to the spider-bot's chest.

She stood over the femme, victorious, and aimed her blasters at Airachnid's face, ready to end it. Airachnid squinted from the glare, when the sound of tumbling rocks caught both their attention.

Arcee let a small gasp escape as she saw Jack climbing down the hill. How he had gotten over the ravine, let alone found her was beyond her. Right now, she had to finish Airachnid and get him to safety.

Airachnid smirked as she used Arcee's momentary distraction to knock her off. Arcee stumbled backwards and tried straightening, but had been tired by the fight. Before she could recover, Airachnid stood and fired twin shots of webbing at the femme, trapping her to the wall.

Arcee sat trapped against the wall, grunting as she struggled. "Arcee!" Jack called as he raced towards her.

His voice caught the attention of Airachnid, who turned toward the boy with a gleeful hiss. Arcee looked at Jack and Airachnid in horror, before another idea struck. She quickly formed one of her blades, and cut away the webbing holding her left arm in place. Shifting it into a blaster she fired a blast at the femme, striking her directly in the chest.

Airachnid flew back from the blast and hit the ground in a heap, struggling for a moment to get back up and failing. She fell back unconscious, and her legs shriveled up. For the moment, she wasn't a threat to anyone.

Arcee scolded Jack as he approached her. "I told you to wait for me!" she yelled.

"Well partners don't ditch partners," he stated. He immediately got to work trying to free Arcee, expecting the webbing to peel away with ease under his strength. To his surprise, the stuff was stronger than the cuffs the Cons had used to restrain Wheeljack. In Jack's weakened state, he couldn't hope to get it off her anytime soon.

"Get this through your head," Arcee said. "You're not my partner; you're a liability!" she yelled.

Jack shook his head. "I don't believe you," he said stubbornly. "I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid Arcee, and you're _never_ afraid."

Arcee looked away in shame, when the memories hit her again.

_Arcee was hung up in the same cell, while Airachnid continued to circle her, like a predator searching for its prey's weakness._

_"You know, for an Autobot your resilience is quiet impressive," she commented. "In fact, I'm guessing that no matter what I do to you, you'll never crack."_

_Arcee was silent. "Am I right?" Airachnid asked, earning only a glare from Arcee._

_"That's what I thought," she said matter of factly._

_The cell door opened and two Vehicons walked in, carrying a limp form between them. It took a moment, but Arcee's optics widened in fear and worry as she recognized her partner. "Tailgate?" she whispered._

_The two troopers marched him over to a spot in the cell before placing two cuffs on him. He groaned in pain slightly as electricity surged into the cuffs and lifted his arms above him._

_"What have you done to him?" Arcee demanded._

_Airachnid chuckled lightly. "Not much, yet," she stated darkly._

_She began circling Arcee again. "Just tell me what I want to know or, well…You're a smart Bot. I think you can imagine what happens to Tailgate next."_

_"I don't know the attack coordinates," Arcee said quickly._

_Airachnid scowled and slowly approached Tailgate. "I swear upon the Allspark it's the truth!" Arcee yelled._

_"We shall see," Airachnid casually said as she approached Arcee's partner._

_Airachnid's legs switched to attack mode. "No! Please!" Arcee begged, tears forming in her optics._

_Airachnid growled in anger._

_She raised her extra leg to strike._

_There was the sound of metal striking metal. _

_Energon splashed against the wall._

_"TAILGATE!"_

The memory of her partner's demise quickly passed through Arcee's mind, and she looked back at the boy struggling to pull the webbing off her. "You're right Jack. I am afraid," she admitted. "Of losing you!"

Jack looked up at the femme in shock. Arcee was worried about losing him?

His surprise was interrupted by the cool voice of Airachnid. "You sure have trouble hanging on to your partners, don't you?" she asked as she approached. "We all remember what happened to Tailgate."

Arcee scowled at the femme, while Jack stood in front of her protectively. He wouldn't let this Con hurt _his_ partner, even in his weakened state.

Airachnid continued to speak. "But I recently picked up some Decepticon radio chatter regarding the passing of Cliffjumper," she sadistically said. Jack glared at her, while Arcee began to vent in panic.

"At some point, you really need to ask yourself something Arcee." Airachnid smiled in vicious delight. "Is it them, or me?"

"Do you get it now Jack?" Arcee said frantically. "She's not interested in me. She hunts indigenous species." She paused as she let it sink in. "She's on earth; that means humans, you!"

Jack's eyes widened in horror. "RUN!" Arcee screamed. All the fear she'd been holding back was released in that one word.

Jack turned and ran, putting some super human speed into it, while Airachnid blasted another web over the old one restraining Arcee.

Airachnid laughed while she approached Arcee, who was fiercely struggling against the webbing "And that's why I prefer to work alone." She slammed one of her extra legs into the wall behind Arcee and lifted her faceplate to eyelevel with a single talon. "It's so sad when something bad happens to those close to you."

She began to crawl up the side of the wall until she was staring at Arcee upside down. "But, don't get me wrong." she smiled, exposing her sharpened denta. "I still plan to snuff out your spark." Her voice became darker. "And believe me, I _will_ make it hurt."

"But that won't compare to the pain you'll feel, knowing I'm adding your human to my collection," she said in a sickeningly happy tone. She turned her head to look at the fleeing form of Jack.

He'd already made it to the top of the hill and only looked back for a moment before he took off again.

Airachnid jumped off the wall and landed with a loud crash, causing dust to spread everywhere. She chuckled. "Oh, I do love it when they run." And she began to track him down.

Arcee watched the femme leave, her spark full of fear and failure. Jack was likely going to die, and it would be her fault. It wasn't fair, first Tailgate, then Cliffjumper, and now… Jack, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

All this, all these thoughts, emotions, and frustrations she let out in a single scream.

"JACK!"

The sun had fallen even lower now, and Jack ran through the forest, already feeling the effects of his lack of rest and sun exposure. His powers, his speed, and strength were weakening every moment. His speed had slowed, and he could only manage a good thirty before he began to tire.

He cursed himself for not having rested or eaten before coming out with Arcee. Now, he was practically helpless to fight off Airachnid when she found him. Jack understood Arcee's panic now, why she had wanted him to stay behind.

But Jack wasn't like that. He was practically hard wired to help people, and no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't have left her to face the spider bot alone. She was his partner, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

He kept running as he heard Airachnid beginning to gain speed. "That's the spirit Jack, play hard to get," she taunted.

Arcee struggled against the webbing that covered her. She had to break free, had to protect Jack. That boy had been through too much for them, done too much for her for her to let Airachnid get her sick servos on him.

She let out another frustrated yell as the memories returned, once again.

_She looked forward, optics lacking any form of emotion, at the sharpened claw. The same claw that ended Tailgate would end her. The only sign of any emotion on Arcee's face was the stained tears and slight trembling._

_It was her fault, all her fault, and now he was dead, and soon Arcee would join him._

_As Airachnid prepared to end her pain, a loud explosion ripped through the door, distracting her. Airachnid turned around with a hiss before fleeing the torture chamber._

_A yellow mech slid into the chamber, blasters firing and offlining any Vehicon in the chamber. Another red mech entered with a body type similar to Tailgate's, though the color and head were different_

_He approached Arcee and cut the power to her cuffs. She fell to the ground, her legs and will too weak to stand. The yellow bot approached and helped the red one carry her between them._

_"I-I couldn't save him!" she cried as they helped walk her out. "I couldn't save my partner!"_

Arcee returned to the present, and vented miserably. All her fault. It was all her fault.

"Jack I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never should have looked back. Should have kept… Driving." An idea hit her. She grit her denta. She wasn't going to let Airachnid take another partner from her, not this time.

Jack was breathing heavily as he jumped over a fallen log. The sun had nearly set, but any of its rays were being blocked by the thick cloud cover. He tripped over the log and fell face first. He started standing up and listened, letting his senses spread out. His strength and speed might have weakened, but his senses had not. He could still hear as sharp as ever.

He heard nothing at first, just the gentle chirping of animals, no sound of metal feet on the ground, but Airachnid was a hunter, so she likely knew how to move as silent as she needed to.

He suddenly heard the sound of her metal feet nearby and looked for someplace to hide. The only place close enough was the log he'd jumped over. Shaking his head, he ducked underneath the log and waited.

He heard her metal legs digging into the dirt, drawing ever closer. He tried keeping as still and quiet as possible, but even the sound of his breathing sounded loud. He felt her presence then as he heard two servos clamp onto the log. A single thin, spider-like leg passed overhead and slid into the dirt. Then another, and another.

Jack realized he'd had a lucky break. Airachnid was passing over him. He looked up and saw her slim form passing overhead. Her two lead legs suddenly stopped in front of him. Jack held his breath as she stopped.

"Hello, Jack," she said as her head appeared in front of him.

Jack let out a frightened yell as he struggled to get over the log he'd been hiding by. Once again, he cursed his weakened powers. Airachnid slowly turned to follow him as he began running as fast as he could, which, unfortunately, wasn't very fast anymore.

Airachnid casually shot webbing at him, but the shot missed and hit a tree as Jack made a sharp left. Jack kept running through the maze of a forest, trying to outrun Airachnid. The spider-bot was barely putting any effort into actually chasing him, instead choosing to casually stalk him instead. She let out a blood chilling screech, but Jack ignored it.

Jack saw the ravine he crossed earlier ahead and silently thanked whoever was watching him. Then it hit him. With his powers weakened, would he be able to make the jump? He moaned inwardly. If this was how most humans felt, then he hated it. He decided to go for it, consequences be damned, and jumped.

He hit the edge of the ravine and scrambled to hold on. His foot hit on something, and he got a hold. He pulled himself up and continued to run from the crazed femme. He looked over his shoulder as he ran and saw Airachnid easily leap the ravine.

"That is so not fair," he muttered to himself.

He ran through the trees and came to a stop when he came to a familiar clearing. There, lying in the middle of it, was Airachnid's ship. Seeing no better place to hide, he quickly ran to the front, hiding behind a support pillar for the ramp.

He heard Airachnid approach and stop. "Now where did you wander off to?" she asked in mock curiosity.

Jack heard her walk away and let out an uneasy breathe. "I am never training before missions again," he muttered. He looked up the ramp of her ship and shivered. No way was he going in there. He ran out to the side of the ship and made his way to the back.

He heard Airachnid head into her ship, likely searching for him. He picked up the pace, and looked down at the large hill between her ship's resting place and the ground. He jumped down below and began making his way away from the ship.

He felt his foot step in some sort of liquid and looked to see the familiar blue color of energon leaking from her ship.

"Energon?" he muttered. He wiped it off his shoe. The stuff was flammable, and if he got it near a heat source…Suddenly an idea hit. He couldn't fight her directly, but if he could lure her here…

Jack got a fair distance away, looked back at the ship, and called out. "Hey Airachnid!"

That did it, and he saw the femme running along the top of her ship towards his voice. He saw her stop at the edge of the ship, looking around, before she spotted Jack and let out a gleeful hiss.

"Bon voyage!" he shouted before he looked at the ship's leaking energon supply. Focusing, he found, to his delight and inner rage, that his heat vision was not one of his powers to be weakened. The beams blasted out of his eyes and hit the supply, instantly igniting it.

A massive fireball engulfed the ship, the shockwave knocking Jack back. The explosions rippled along the ship, tearing through the metal like tissue paper. The shockwave went up as well, and the cloud cover of the area dissipated.

Beams of sunlight burst through the dissipating cloud cover and hit Jack's form. Almost immediately, he felt his strength begin to return, and he stood back up, arms raised. He hadn't felt this good all day. Not only was Airachnid likely dead, but he was finally regaining his strength. He still wasn't at full strength; that would take a few minutes, but he was stronger now than when he'd begun to run from Airachnid.

Jack, feeling he'd absorbed enough energy, turned to head back to Arcee to let her know he was okay, that he'd managed to beat her, and that she wouldn't have to be afraid for him anymore. After seeing how terrified she had been, Jack was going to make it his personal mission to make sure that never happened again.

As he walked into the forest though, he heard a familiar sound, and something hard and sticky struck his foot. He looked down and saw the familiar white webbing that belonged to Airachnid. He looked up and saw, to his horror, the femme still lived, albeit burned and dented.

The spider-bot launched another web at Jack, slamming him into the tree behind him. She jumped down from her position above and began to approach the boy. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart, you little brat," she snarled.

Jack smirked at her "Tear this," he retorted and proceeded to rip the webbing off. Unlike the webbing on Arcee, this one was attached to a tree, meaning that the bark it had attached to ripped off with ease. For Jack anyway. No human could have pulled off that feat.

Airachnid's optics widened in surprise. "How in the!?" she yelled.

Jack smiled. "Kinda should have mentioned this, but I'm a lot stronger than I look."

The femme snarled and lashed her legs at him, and Jack caught both in his hands. Another look of surprise crossed her face. Jack heaved with all his might, and swung her into the tree he'd just been trapped to. There was a loud crack, and her two legs snapped off. The femme herself went flying and crashed into a tree.

She got up and screeched at the boy, before the familiar sound of Arcee's engine caused her to retreat. She jumped into the air and began spinning, digging a hole into the ground.

Arcee transformed and fired at her as she drilled away, but to no avail. "AIRACHNID!" she yelled as she disappeared.

"Arcee," Jack said as he walked up to her, causing the femme to turn to him, a look of relief passing over her face. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She raised a brow at him. "Am I okay? I should be asking you that."

Jack brushed off her concern. "I'm fine. Survival kit, remember?"

Arcee smiled before looking down the hole. "So much for closure," she muttered.

"Now she's stuck here on Earth," Jack said ominously. "I'm not sure that's a good thing."

Arcee looked away. "Sorry you had to face my demons today, Jack," she apologized before smiling. "You were pretty fearless out there," she praised.

"Actually, I was completely terrified," he said before adding, "mostly for you."

Arcee smiled and raised a hand to her com. "Arcee to Base, requesting a ground bridge."

Jack slapped at another mosquito buzzing around him. "Need to get my partner away from any oversized insects," she said.

Jack looked up at her with a smile. "Partner, huh?" he asked slyly as the bridge opened behind them.

"Junior partner," she said. "I still need to be able to pull rank on you." She turned and began to walk towards the bridge.

"Arcee," Jack said, and the femme turned to him. "If you ever need to just… you know talk, I'm here for you."

Arcee smiled at him. "I'll keep that in mind."

And with that, two aliens, both from different worlds, and both calling this world home, walked through the ground bridge, a little closer than when they'd walked through earlier that day.

**A/N: Yeah back to the serious stuff. This was so much more fun to write than Speed Metal, oh my God you have no idea. Anyway, the next episode will be Crisscross, followed by Out of His Head, Metal Attraction, and Shadowzone. Then, we get into Zod territory. Oh, I'm so excited. Remember to review with critique, and PM me for any plot based questions or ideas. Bye.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Crisscross

_One week since the events of Predatory…_

The forest was silent. No sounds could be heard. Only the occasional sounds of animals calling could be heard. This was a blissful, peaceful silence, one few humans ever experienced.

Unfortunately, the silence was ended by the sound of footsteps and the jingle of gear. Several men were wandering through the forest, their rifles swinging from side to side. Each man was covered in green body armor, faces included.

All but one, their commander, Silas, the leader of MECH. He was dressed in the standard body armor, but he wore no mask, only a pair of night vision goggles. He and his men were investigating a possible Cybertronian distress beacon.

While they had learned much from their capture of the Decepticon Breakdown, they had been unable to hold onto the Con due to interference from the Autobots. The loss had hurt MECH's supply of troops, but they had also gained invaluable knowledge on the interworkings of the giant metal men.

Silas paused for a moment, scanning the area. "Remember," he reminded his men, "suppressive fire only; we want to take this one alive." He then proceeded on point, his men close behind him.

Their laser sights crisscrossed the darkness, looking like a hellish spider web, constantly moving through the night air. The visibility of the night itself was good. It was nearly a full moon, and the silhouettes of the men themselves stretched long and thin across the ground.

A sudden dark shape darted behind them, and the men twisted around, Silas firing a shot from his laser rifle. He missed but saw the shape move in the trees faster than any Earth creature could. He fired another shot in the trees, just missing and blasting a neat hole through the upper tree trunk.

His men began firing every time they saw the shadowy creature, but each time it successfully dodged their assaults. One of his men fired at the creature as it began to flee, causing a small explosion that knocked over a tree and sent up dust everywhere.

Silas chased after the creature, his men following closely. If it thought it could get away from him, it had another thing coming. He and his men came to a stop over a ravine. There was no sign of the creature, but the goggles Silas wore could detect its energy signature.

"Tight formation," he ordered, and he slid down the ravine, his men following him closely.

They slowly walked into the canyon, each man covering their blind spots. Silas looked over his environment and was shocked by the various large spider webs crossing the canyon. Something big had made those webs, and he had a pretty good idea what.

He and his men followed the trackers in their goggles, slowly approaching the beacon. Without warning though, the signal vanished from their trackers. Silas motioned for his men to stop. Something was wrong, it was almost as if this was a…

Suddenly, several thick strands of webbing shot down from above and hauled Silas's men screaming into the air. Silas looked up and saw all three men caught in a massive spider web, dangling like flies.

He heard the sound of a metallic hiss and looked up to see a large Cybertronian with black body armor and purple, soulless eyes. She, for it was clearly female, had several extra legs supporting her in the air. She took a swipe at him, and Silas dodged, firing off a shot.

He missed, and before he could fire again, the spider bot grabbed hold of his weapon and lifted him into the air. The weapon sparked as she crushed it, and she flung the man into the canyon wall. Before he could slide back down, she shot a strand of webbing at him and stuck him to the wall.

The femme quickly crawled up the side of the wall until her fanged face was mere feet from Silas's. She began stroking the side of his face like a dog as she spoke. "Don't tell me MECH never considered that an open channel distress signal from an injured might be a trap."

"I'll bear that in mind next time," Silas said coolly.

Airachnid chuckled. "Next time? Decepticon chatter is all about the work over you gave poor Breakdown. As an ex-Con myself, I really should eviscerate you for that." She paused to let her threat sink in.

Silas simply wore a neutral expression. "But," she continued, "an old acquaintance and her nasty little human destroyed my ship and skinned my knee."

She narrowed her optics. "I mean to pay them back in kind. Both of them."

She moved her faceplate closer to Silas. "You see, I may get in and out of places most Decepticons can't, but I'm still learning to navigate this planet."

"What's in it for MECH?" Silas boldly asked.

"I'll let you live," she growled.

She thought for a moment before continuing. "And since you came to collect a 'transformer' was it? I'll throw in whatever's left of Arcee…After I've broken her."

Silas only thought about Airachnid's proposal for a moment. "You have a deal."

The spider-bot smiled. "Good, then I suggest you get to work."

_Jasper Nevada, the Darby residence…_

"Thanks for walking me home Jack," Arcee joked as Jack rolled her up the drive way. "You're a real gentleman."

"I wouldn't want you revved up before bed would I?" he said jokingly.

He stopped in front of the garage and walked forward to open it. Technically, he was past curfew, but Mom never got home before 12:00 at the earliest, so he'd decided to stay at base a little longer, just to hang out and enjoy some peace and quiet for once.

After the recon mission gone wrong, Breakdown of all Cons had been captured by that organization MECH. Optimus had decided to launch a rescue mission in order to prevent Cybertronian tech from falling into their hands. Jack himself had almost tagged along, but remembering what happened last time he got involved with MECH, had decided not to.

The last thing he wanted to do was kill anyone. Ever since the event, he had used his powers among humans sparingly. He feared he would hurt someone accidentally if he got angry or didn't keep a lid on them.

Jack shook his head as the memories passed and opened the garage door up turning to Arcee while he did. "Mom's should be out working, and I don't think she'd understand-"

"Understand what Jack? You breaking curfew for the third time this month?" the angry voice of June Darby asked.

Jack froze and silently cursed before turning to face the wrath of his mother. He immediately regretted it. She had a look on her face that would make Decepticons run in fear.

"Mom!" he said in surprise as he took a step back.

"Or why your boss called about you missing another shift at work?" she asked angrily. "Or maybe the email I received from your art history teacher who's been concerned you've been falling asleep in class."

Jack winced as she brought that up. He may have missed one or two shifts at work, but he didn't see the harm in it. As for art history, well, it was art history.

"Well, two words Mom: Art and history," he explained. Why it was a required course was beyond him.

"Tell me the rumors aren't true Jack," his mother asked, her tone switching from anger to concern. "Tell me you're not racing that motorcycle."

"No, no, wait, wait, where did you hear that?" he asked.

"Small town, people talk," she explained, all the anger having left her voice.

Her face hardened, and the anger immediately returned. "I work in an emergency room, Jack. I've seen what can happen. So please, tell me you haven't fallen in with a bad crowd."

"What? Okay two things. First, you know I don't get hurt that easy," he said, trying hard not to divulge _too_ much info with Arcee right behind him. "Second, my friends are the good crowd, seriously good," he explained.

"I let you have that bike because you convinced me you were mature enough to handle it, but I think you may need a gentle reminder," June said.

"Mom, can we please talk about this inside? We're making a scene. People are going to hear," Jack said. He wasn't wrong, several house lights had turned on since June confronted Jack, but truthfully, he knew where this was going and didn't need Arcee to hear by accident.

June scowled for a moment. "Fine, get in the house," she ordered.

Jack reluctantly went inside, and June followed. The two headed into the kitchen where they could continue to speak without being heard.

"Message received now Mom. I'm glad we had this talk," he said before she could begin, hoping she wouldn't say what he was feared.

"I meant," she started, "let's see how a few weeks without the distraction of your motorcycle will remind you."

Jacks eyes widened in shock. "But-" he started.

"No buts mister. Two weeks without your motorcycle, and no powers either," she stated.

"What, but Mom that's not fair!" he yelled as he slammed his hands on the counter. He flinched as he heard the tile crack. "I can fix that," he said.

"You're grounded from everything except school or work, and if you want to take a bike to either, you'll pedal," June said with a note of finality.

Jack shivered at the memory of the ten speed he used to ride. Even before he met Arcee, he loathed the thing. It was one of the things in his life he hated with a passion. It was so slow and so stupid looking.

June snapped her fingers in front of him. "Serious face Jack. If I see that motorcycle out of the garage…"

She never finished, but Jack had a pretty good idea. June's anger softened, and she gave her son a soft kiss on the forehead. "Now, go bring the bike in the garage, wash up, and get some sleep." With that she walked to her own bedroom for the night.

"I love you," she said as she walked away.

Jack sighed and walked back outside to bring Arcee in. "How much did you hear?" he asked her.

"Didn't hear any of it. What'd I miss?" the femme asked as he wheeled her in.

Jack sighed and quickly explained his punishment. "I'll miss you while you're grounded," she teased.

"Don't worry Arcee. I'll visit you every day," he promised

"Uh, Jack, I won't be here," she explained. "Sitting on my fat tires for two weeks is not an option."

"No, no, you heard how serious Mom was. Look, Arcee, I feel bad enough I've had to lie to her for the past few months, but if you're not here, she's going to think I'm blowing her off," Jack said, slight panic in his voice.

"Deep breaths Jack," Arcee said calmly, trying to keep the teen from hyper ventilating. "Your Mom works late nights. I'll try to be back in the garage before she gets home."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "But," she continued, "no promises."

Jack nodded in understanding. It was going to be a very long two weeks.

_Two days later…_

Jack sighed, frustrated by how dull his life had become in the past two days, as he exited work. Being grounded from Arcee and base had pretty much destroyed his social life. He still hung out with Raf and Miko at school of course, but every time he watched them leave with their guardians he was reminded of what he was missing. The ten speed was only the second worst part though. Just like before, the demonic bike seemed determined to make his life a living hell.

No, the worst part was not being able to ride with Arcee, to talk with her down the open highway. The talks were, in his opinion, the best part of the day, and he already missed them. His bike was not a great conversationalist.

Jack was getting on said ten-speed when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and, to his panic, saw it was his mom. "Hey Mom," he said.

"Hey, Jack," she greeted. "Hope you're not eating takeout. I took my break early so I could cook a wholesome meal for my grounded son," she said cheerfully.

Jack gagged slightly before responding. "O-organic tofu, awesome." he said. "Hey, car beats ten-speed. I'll, ah, I'll be home soon, bye, love you," he hung up and immediately dialed Arcee.

"Come on. Pickup, pick up," he pleaded.

"Yes Jack?" Arcee sighed over the line.

"Arcee!" he cried, relieved. "You wouldn't happen to be in the garage right now would you?" he asked hopefully.

"That's a negative Jack," she replied. "Can we talk about this later?"

Jack heard the sound of blaster fire in the background. _'Great,' _he thought.

"No!" he yelled as he raced down the street, careful not to go too fast, otherwise the chain would break. "Mom's on her way home. If you don't race back there right now, I will be grounded for life, and Mom will make me sell you for parts."

Jack heard more blaster fire before he got a reply. "Bee, can you handle it?" Jack heard several beeps and whirrs. "Ratchet, I need a bridge," Arcee said, and the line went dead.

"Hello?" he asked. "Arcee? Aw scrap!" he cursed as he sped around the corner and saw his mom's car pulled into the driveway.

Jack pulled into the driveway, when he heard his mom's voice yell. "JAACK!"

_'Oh scrap,'_ he thought as he saw his mom storm out of the house, still dressed in her nurses' attire.

The look on her face was one of pure rage and disappointment. "Jackson William Darby! I cannot believe you disobeyed me! _Where_ is the motorcycle!?" she demanded arms on her hips.

"Uh…" Jack started when he saw the familiar green glow of the ground bridge opening behind her. "What do you mean? She's right where I left her," he said as he activated the automated garage opener.

June turned around, and, to her shock, the bike was there parked and everything. She shook herself and turned back to Jack, arms crossed. "Did you get one of your crew to sneak it in? Or did you just walk it up again?" she demanded.

Jack let out a sigh. "Okay Mom…Do you really want to know?" he asked. He saw Arcee twitch in the background, warning him not to. His mom gave him an expectant look.

"Fasten your seatbelt," he muttered as he stood up, getting off the demon bike. "My motorcycle is a sentient robotic organism from a distant planet, part of a team stationed here on Earth fighting a secret war, and I spend most of my time after school hanging with her crew," he explained without taking a breath.

"Jack…" she sighed

"An-and the coolest thing…" he continued. "_This_ isn't her actual form! She's actually a giant robot that can transform into a vehicle!"

"Enough Jack," she said.

"It's ok, Arcee," he said. "Show yourself." The bike remained motionless.

"Sh-she's shy," Jack stuttered, his face turning slightly red. "A-Arcee…"

"Really, no more lies, no more hiding," he said, turning to the femme. June just looked at her adopted son sadly.

"Come on, rollout already," he growled, very lightly kicking her tire. Still nothing.

The teen sagged his shoulders in defeat. "So," June started, "um…the bad crowd you've been hanging out with…is a science fiction club?" she asked.

Jack looked at the floor, resisting the urge to fling Arcee through the wall.

June walked up and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Look, Jack, I know things have been tough for you. I know not knowing who your parents are and your father's death have been tough on you, but you don't need to make up stories like this."

Jack just looked away, and she sighed, looking at her watch. "I have to get back to work. We'll continue this discussion later." And she got back into her car to drive off.

"Thanks for the support partner," he grumbled after June pulled out of the driveway.

Arcee, however had other things she wanted to ask. "June's not your mother?" she asked, confused. The two looked so alike; it was hard to believe it.

Jack rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I, uh, no she's not. I'm adopted. I don't know who my parents are or where they're from though. Besides, she and dad raised me, so they might as well be my parents."

"You know Jack," Arcee started. "I could have Ratchet check and see-"

Jack shook his head no. "I appreciate the gesture Arcee, but I accepted that I wouldn't find out who they were a long time ago. Besides, if they really wanted me, they wouldn't have abandoned me and sent me away." He turned and headed inside before Arcee could say a word, leaving the femme to her thoughts.

Jack had never mentioned he was adopted before or that he never knew his real parents. She'd told him about Tailgate and Cliffjumper after they fought off Airachnid, so why hadn't he told her about that? And a more interesting question was what other secrets was her partner keeping from her?

Arcee shook herself. Jack wouldn't keep something from her unless it wasn't important. She should trust him to tell her if something truly bad happened. Still, she would keep her ear to the ground, listen for anything else he wasn't telling her.

_Elsewhere, in an undisclosed location…_

Silas sat in the darkened room watching the video taken from her ship's black box. Airachnid was watching the screen as well in eager anticipation. The sooner she got her talons on that boy for what he did, the sooner her revenge would be complete.

"Your ship's black box sustained serious damage in the explosion," Silas explained. "But our software was able to reconstruct a few frames."

The footage stopped and zoomed in on a teenage boy with onyx hair, blue eyes, and a light tan. "That's him," Airachnid said, "my Jack."

"Our facial recognition algorithm will send Jack's image across the web." He paused and looked at the spider bot. "Another kind of web," he said in disgust.

A beep from the terminal got his attention again. "Ah, the mother lode," he said in triumphantly.

"Government database?" Airachnid asked.

"Social networking page, everything worth knowing about Jack Darby is right here," he explained. "Age 16, Jasper, Nevada. Mother: June Darby, a nurse."

He turned to two soldiers. "You know what to do," he said, and the two saluted. One way or another, they would get Jack Darby right where they wanted him.

_Jasper Emergency Hospital, the next day…_

June walked through the now empty parking lot, thoughts on the conversation with her alien son from yesterday. "Maybe I'm being too hard on Jack," she said to herself, "but he lied, and the only way he's gonna learn is if I stick to my guns."

A solid black van suddenly pulled up beside her, door opening to reveal a man with a gun pointed at her.

"IRS," he said and shocked the nurse, knocking her unconscious.

He pulled her into the van and restrained her, climbing back into the front seat. His partner gave him a weird look. "What?" he asked.

"Really, that's the best you could come up with Frank?" his partner asked.

"Know what, screw you Carl. I didn't hear you come up with anything better," Frank retorted.

"You had like three hours to come up with what to say, and the best you could come up with was IRS? Seriously?" Carl said. The rest of the drive was spent with the two bickering over one liners.

_Darby Residence, the same night…_

Jack coasted down the street to his house, not looking forward to the "chat" his mom had promised him the night before. He had told her the straight truth, and she didn't believe him. Now that he thought about it, why she didn't believe him didn't make sense. After all, he was an alien. What was so hard in believing his motorcycle was one too?

Jack sighed as he pulled into the driveway. Odd, no sign of his mom's car. She was probably working late, so he shrugged and opened the garage, smiling when he saw Arcee parked there.

"Arcee, is Mom home yet?" he asked. "I didn't see her car."

"Dunno," was her reply. "I just bridged from base to beat her here. Oh, and there's a package for you," she said, pointing her handle bars at a manila envelope on the table.

He turned the package over, and a small device that looked similar to his old game boy spilled out.

It suddenly turned on with a beep. "Hello Jack," a deep voice greeted. It sounded very familiar to the teen.

Arcee transformed behind him. "Silas," she growled.

"S-silas!?" Jack asked alarm. "What does he want? What's going on?"

"MECH," Arcee hissed.

Jack felt his blood go cold. "They know where I live!?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"We know things about your family that even you don't know," he said, his voice mocking. "For example; do you know where your mother is?"

Jack felt the coldness in his veins replaced by the heat of fury. "What did you do?" he growled, causing Arcee to rest a servo on his shoulder. He looked up at the femme, and she shook her head. Now wasn't the time for anger. Jack immediately began to calm down.

"Understand Jack," Silas said. "We have no intention of hurting her…In fact, we'd like to reunite the two of you as soon as possible."

"Uh huh, what's the catch?" he asked, wanting to get this scrap over with.

There was a tsking noise over the com. "I just need you and Arcee to follow the coordinates programmed into this communicator. They'll lead you to the temporary facility I've set up," Silas said.

Arcee put a servo to her com. "Ratchet," she whispered. "I…"

She was cut off when a sharp pain entered her processor and caused her to grasp her helm as she began to yell in pain.

"Arcee!" Jack cried as he put a hand on her shoulder, trying to provide whatever comfort to her pain.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Silas said, not sounding the least bit sincere. "Did I not mention that the communicator's signal scrambles our signal…and her brain?"

"Monster!" Jack growled angrily. If anyone had seen him, they'd have seen the red glow in his eyes.

"Any break in communication or attempt to contact the other Autobots and Miss Darby…Well…I wouldn't want you two to feel responsible for the outcome," Silas finished. The communicator shut off, and the pain in Arcee's processor stopped.

Jack stared at the communicator in anger, wanting to do nothing more than to crush it in his hand, but he couldn't. He needed it to rescue his mom.

"Arcee…" he began, but she was one step ahead of him.

She transformed to vehicle mode. "Hop on," she said, and Jack did. The two took off, heading to go save his mother.

"If anything happens to her because of my connection to all this," he whispered, "I…"

"Jack," Arcee said, reassuringly. "MECH is only after me. once they get what they want…they'll let your mom go."

"That's not exactly reassuring," he snapped, then let his voice soften. "You're family too."

Jack knew it sounded cheesy, but it felt right. Arcee and the Bots had become more than protectors or friends, they'd become family to him. A very large metal family, but a family still.

Arcee herself was touched by Jack's sentiment. The boy could be very kind and mature when he kept his temper under control.

"Make a left," he said suddenly.

"Hang on," the femme growled and turned sharply, Jack's knee only slightly brushing the street.

Jack looked at their destination and saw it was an abandoned cement plant. They slowed in front of the main building. He put the communicator devil device in his back pocket. A tiny dot of ruby light appeared on his grey shirt. Then another, and another… Snipers, the fragging bastard had snipers pointed at him.

He gripped Arcee's handlebars tightly, careful to not bend the metal. "So what's the plan?" he asked, voice low.

"The usual," she growled.

"Good," he said.

Arcee revved her engine and sped up, passing through the ranks of MECH soldiers. Jack lowered himself, feeling the bullets occasionally pinging off his back, to no avail.

The two came screeching into the warehouse, Jack practically jumping off Arcee. "Mom!?" he called.

"Looking for June?" a dark, sadistic female voice asked. "She's hanging around here _somewhere_."

Jack whirled around to see Airachnid, while Arcee transformed, placing herself between the boy and the spider-bot.

"Airachnid," she growled.

The femme smirked in delight before firing webbing at Arcee, sticking her arms to her side. Jack ran up to Arcee's side to see if she was okay. The femme just waved her helm away, wanting him to keep his distance.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Jack snarled at the femme. He would have been afraid of her if he had been in the same condition as last time, but this time Jack was at full strength and had no moral dilemma with ripping the ex-Con's head off.

About a dozen or so MECH soldiers rushed into the warehouse, standing by the femme, unafraid. They pointed their rifles at Jack and Arcee, and he was powerless to do anything, as long as they had his mom.

"Help them," Arcee pleaded. "They're human, like you! You can't let Airachnid…!"

"A few human lives are a small price to pay for a miracle of science like yourself," Silas said coolly as he nodded to one of the soldiers.

The soldier lifted a gun and fired a stream of electricity into Arcee. She gave a short scream and fell to the concrete floor, unconscious.

Jack ran back to her side. "Arcee!" he cried, trying to make sure she was alright. He let out a small sigh as he found that, despite her shocking experience, she was unharmed, just in stasis.

"You and I will have a private session later," Airachnid growled at Arcee's motionless form. "Promise!"

"Gentlemen," Silas said, and several soldiers approached Jack.

The boy glared at them as they took his phone and communicator, leaving him with no form of contact. Jack was wondering how he would call for backup, when an idea struck him.

"I'm still learning about humankind," Airachnid said, stalking forwards, "but one thing is clear to me, Jack…You people care deeply about family. Therefore the sweetest revenge I could _possibly_ devise is to make you _watch_ as I take your family _apart_."

Jack glared at her, unimpressed, but incredibly angry. She was lucky she had his mom, or she'd be dead on the floor.

"If you hurt my mother I'll…" he threatened, his eyes faintly glowing red.

"You remember how much I enjoy sport, don't you, Jack?" she asked. "So I'll give you the opportunity to _save_ your mother. I've stashed her close by…"

Jack mentally groaned as he heard what sounded like a timer beeping behind him. He turned to look and saw a timer counting down to midnight. Now, he knew what the catch was.

"If you can rescue her before the stroke of twelve…" Airachnid purred, "I will let both of you go, unharmed. Deal?"

"And if I can't?" he snarled.

She smirked, her cloying alto laugh reverberating through his frame. "What do you think?" she asked sarcastically.

Jack realized now was the perfect time to execute his plan. He walked up to Silas and pounded his fist on his chest. Jack was by no means short. In fact, he stood almost six feet tall, but Silas was a mountain of a man, making Jack's relatively thin form seem even more pathetic. Exactly his plan.

"Please," he begged. "Don't let her do this! You can let us go, w-we won't tell anyone!"

Silas shoved Jack back, and the boy fell on his rear, adding to the performance. Of course, Silas hadn't noticed when Jack used his super speed to snatch the radio from his belt, but he wouldn't tell him that.

"Enough," Silas growled in disgust.

Airachnid bent down to Jack's level.

"Yes, Jack," she jeered. "Man up already. You were so much stronger the last time we met."

She looked at the clock. "Six minutes!" she said, wonderingly.

Jack immediately stood up and ran out of the warehouse. "MOM!?" he cried as he ran. "MOM!?"

He began frantically searching for his mom, calling her every few seconds, hoping for some sort of response. Nothing.

Minutes passed and he used his X-ray vision to search. Again, nothing. He heard something land behind him and saw Airachnid standing casually on a large container. Jack glared at her, and the bot smirked, pointing to his mother, dangling dozens of feet above the ground in a webbed cocoon.

"MOM!" he cried and ran to her, forgetting his secret. Consequences be damned, his mother was in trouble.

Airachnid was shocked to say the least. The boy had taken off from a standing point to fast as Arcee in vehicle mode. She watched as the boy took a single leap, and landed on the platform below his mother. He took another leap and landed atop the platform she was suspended from.

Airachnid smiled. "So there's more to you than meets the eye Jack. I wonder…To what lengths will you go to ensure your mother's survival?"

Jack frantically began pulling at the webbing encasing his mom, but, like before, the material was frustratingly hard to rip from the metal platform.

By this time, his mother had woken up. "Jack!? Jack what are you doing here? Who are these people? How did I get in this stuff?" she asked

"Don't worry Mom," Jack said as the webbing finally began to peel away. "I'm going to get you out."

A large, metal spike-tipped leg slammed on the large canister nearby, and the black and purple form of Airachnid crawled into view, chuckling sadistically.

"Jack?" his mom asked, stunned. "The robots are real?"

Jack stood up and stared at the femme. "I beat your deadline!" he yelled at the metal spider.

Airachnid laughed again before answering. "Afraid not Jack," she sneered. "The task was not for you to _find_ your mother by midnight, you had to_rescue_her…and time's up! Now…"

"Take a seat," Airachnid purred as she prepared to cause his mother to drop, "Sit back…and _enjoy_ the horror show."

"Jack!" his mom called and the boy looked to his mom, who had a hard set look on her face. "Kick her ass."

Jack grinned and leapt at the spider, punching her in the faceplate. The spider-bot went flying off the plant and hit the ground with a thud, Jack landing in front of her.

Airachnid rushed to her feet, anger plastered on her faceplate. "How did you?"

"Did you really not learn from last time Airachnid? I'm a lot stronger than any normal human," he said as he casually began walking towards her.

The femme growled and shot webbing at him. To her shock, two scarlet beams cut through the webbing, causing it to fly to either side of him.

"What are you?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.

Jack glared at her. "That's a question I've been asking myself for over four years."

And he charged her, hitting full speed. He didn't have to worry about draining his energy tonight. It was a full moon, and that was the only time when his powers weren't drained. The spider slammed her legs in front of the boy repeatedly, while skittering backwards, but try as she might, she couldn't hit him.

She opened fire with her blaster, and Jack evaded those as well, before leaping at the femme. He planted a punch in her chest plate, and she flew back a dozen feet before stopping. She looked up, hissed at the alien, and charged at him. Moving fast, she managed to stab Jack in the abdomen, lifting him into the air.

Or so she thought. Jack looked up at her and grabbed leg, crushing the metal in his grip. Airachnid let out a howl of pain and dropped the boy. After quickly examining her leg, she looked to the boy, who showed no sign of damage from the fight.

Snarling, she tried jumping over him to kill his mother. She might not be able to kill him, but she could still have her revenge by ending the life of June Darby. Right as she reached the peak of her leap though, she felt something grab her and saw Jack grabbing her around the waist. Spinning in midair, he flung her away from him, and she crashed into the building by June.

With her out of the way for the moment, Jack jumped back onto the platform and worked to free his mother. "I wouldn't do that boy!" Airachnid screamed as she shot webbing at Jack's hand, sticking him in place.

"Now, as I was saying, time for your mother to take a nice, long fall." And she reached out to cut through the webbing.

Before she could, an engine revving split the air, and the blue form of Arcee slammed into Airachnid, right as Jack freed himself. The two engaged each other, while Jack began freeing his mother, this time with more success, as the webbing tore free, finally starting to lose its adhesiveness.

"Jack? Your motorcycle?" June asked.

"I can explain Mom." He paused and grinned. "Wait; I already did."

He finally broke the webbing and pulled his mom up onto the platform. "Hold still" he ordered, and she nodded.

Jack's eyes started glowing red, and he used his heat vision to cut through the webbing very carefully. When he was done, his mom embraced him. "I will never doubt you again," she said and then looked at him more seriously. "These robots do they…"

Jack shook his head. "Only one of them, Arcee doesn't. I'll explain everything later, okay?"

June nodded. "Okay, but you're explaining _everything_ mister."

_Later…_

Jack sat with June back on solid ground, an arm wrapped around her in a reassuring hug. She had a blanket on her shoulders and was looking down at the ground, still processing everything she had seen.

After Jack had rescued her, Arcee had managed to temporarily incapacitate Airachnid using quick dry cement. It had been short lived, but the Con had been force to retreat when the backup Jack had called arrived in the form of Agent Fowler, who managed to get his vehicle scanned by Airachnid again, allowing her to escape.

At the moment Agent Fowler approached the two. "Mrs. Darby, I'm Special Agent William Fowler. It's time you knew the truth…for the past several months, Jack has been ah…interning for me at the agency."

June just glared at the agent, before Jack took over. "Agent Fowler… Mom's not going to buy that," he said.

"He's got that right," she growled, continuing to glare at the agent.

A soldier approached the agent. "Agent Fowler…" he started.

"Let me guess, without a trace?" he finished. The soldier nodded and the Agent cursed, mumbling under his breath as he walked away.

The sound of metal footsteps caught the attention of the two, and they turned to Arcee, who kneeled while Jack stood in front of her. "And she would be your?" June asked.

"Motorcycle, guardian, Autobot, friend," he explained as he put a reassuring hand on his partner's knee.

"Call me Arcee," the femme said.

June stood up, and Jack moved out of the way so the two could talk. "Thank you, Arcee," she said, smiling lightly. Arcee smiled back before Jack approached his mom.

"I think it's time for that ride you made me promise," Jack said, grinning.

_The Autobot base…_

The ride to the mesa had been quick and quiet, June having nothing to say, Jack simply waiting for the reaction she would have.

They approached the mesa, and the secret entrance slowly broke open, allowing the three access. They drove along the tunnel, engine noise echoing off the wall. They finally drove into the hangar, and Arcee slowly came to a stop.

June looked in wonder at the large metal men before her. Bulkhead and Bee were standing by some crates, talking to Miko and Raf, and the four turned to look at the new arrival. Ratchet turned from his console as well, examining Jack's mother.

Loud thunderous footsteps filled the hangar, and Jack had to bite back a laugh as his mom looked up and up and up at the massive form of Optimus Prime.

Jack took off his helmet "Mom," he said with a wave of his hand, "meet my science fiction club."

The four Bots stood before her, and June did the only thing that came to mind: She gave a slight wave.

_Later…_

Jack sat on top of the mesa watching the sunset and trying to get away from base. Mom had taken to the Bots far better than he thought she would, but having an alien son had probably helped with that.

He sat now, trying to think over everything that had happened yesterday and today. Right now, June was engaged with a conversation with Optimus about the extent of Jack's abilities and his overall participation in Bot missions. If he had to guess, it would be a long time before he could ever go on a mission with the Bots, but honestly, he was okay with that.

He wasn't ready to fight in a war and needed time to really prepare himself for the things to come in the future.

His thoughts were interrupted, as they usually were, by the sound of Arcee walking up behind him. "You know, everyone's inside," she said as she sat beside him leaning back on her servos.

Jack shrugged. "Yeah, but I needed to get away from Mom for a little. A lot's happened in the past few days, just trying to let it all sink in."

"I can understand that," she said, and the two fell into silence. The top of the mesa had become their own private area, free from the influence of the others, where they could talk in private.

"I never said thank you," Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Arcee asked, tilting her helm to the side.

"For everything in the past few days," he explained. "For saving me from Airachnid in the woods, coming back to my place so I wouldn't break Mom's promise, and for saving Mom from Airachnid."

"I was just doing my job," she said, trying to deflect the teen's compliment.

"Still," he said, "Thank you."

Arcee smiled at him. "You're welcome, partner, and who knows, maybe I'll be thanking you for saving me some day?"

The two laughed at that, before returning to a comfortable silence.

"You know Jack," Arcee said, breaking the silence and getting the teen's attention. "If you ever have anything you need to talk about or tell me, I'm here for you," she said.

Jack smiled at her and adopted a similar pose, stretching his legs. "Thanks Arcee, I promise if anything comes up, you'll be the first I'll tell," he said.

The two didn't speak anymore after that. There wasn't much to talk about. They were simply enjoying each others' presence, so much so, they didn't even notice when their hands touched.

_Elsewhere, in the dark reaches of space…_

He scowled as he looked at the navigation map. 16 years. That's how long they'd been searching. 16 years in search of where the boy could be. They had traveled to all the ancient colonies, only to find that they had died off eons ago.

Despite this, they didn't give up, wouldn't give up. They would find Kal-El, make him surrender the Codex, and if he refused, he would die, as his father before him.

All they needed was a sign, and then, only then, would General Zod have his revenge and restore the people of Krypton.

**A/N: BUM BUM BUMMMMM. So yeah, here's crisscross. Now I got a few reviews asking why I had the order of the episodes set in the wrong order. Simple, I have modified the playlist of episodes to better fit my plan for this story, so certain episodes have been moved around for convenience. Next up is out of his head and, small spoiler alert, Jack learns to fly. Review with critique or PM for plot ideas, questions, etc. Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Out of His Head

_Darby Residence, midnight…_

Jack let out a scream as he woke up from another nightmare. He sat in his bed, panting heavily while wiping the sweat off his forehead. He looked at his trembling hands trying to calm himself. He thought the dreams, the nightmares, had stopped. He hadn't had one in over a week, though he still refused to sleep peacefully.

This dream was just as bad as the ones before, except even more vivid and longer. Instead of cutting off right as the men were about to grab him, it didn't. It stopped when they… Finished him off.

The man in the dream, the one who claimed to be his father, had grown even more distorted than before. Jack could barely make out the outline now, and his voice had grown more distorted, more monstrous. He wasn't sure if it meant something, but it definitely made the experience more horrifying for the boy.

But the worst part had been the other additions. Jack had seen another figure with the man, much clearer than him. It had been Arcee. She had asked him repeatedly why he lied to her, why he didn't trust her. She had trusted him with her own secrets, and he couldn't even do the same. She'd stood and watched, a neutral expression on her face, as Jack had been killed. The last words he'd heard, _"I trusted you."_

Jack shook his head. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep since the train, but this, this was a new level of pain. The lack of sleep these nightmares caused him was hurting him in school and at base. He'd nearly fallen asleep while riding Arcee the other day, a terrifying experience in itself.

Jack looked up as he heard a knocking on his door. "Jack, are you okay?" his mother asked.

Jack just looked down, the memory of his dream still so vivid and terrifying. He heard the door creak open and didn't need to look up to know his mom had come in when he hadn't answered. She sat on the corner of his bed, waiting for Jack to acknowledge her. He looked up at her but said nothing.

"Was it the same dream?" she asked.

Jack nodded slowly, and June let out a sigh. "You still don't want to talk about it."

Jack hesitated for a moment, before speaking. "No, I need to talk with you about it," he whispered

His mother inched closer so she could hear him better. "What happens in your dream?" she asked.

Jack let out a shaky breath before he began. "I-I'm in a desert, no one else around at first. Every time I always call out, trying to find someone anyone." He looked up at his mom. "And I always do." he said cryptically.

"Who?" June asked.

Jack shook his head. "I don't know. He's always standing out in the distance, and the dust obscures him. His voice is always distorted too, b-but, Mom, he says he's my dad, that he's disappointed in me, a monster, a killer." Tears were starting to form in his eyes, and June embraced him, trying to comfort him.

"Jack," she said lightly. "You're not a monster or a killer, you know that."

Jack let out a light sob and before he knew it, everything that had happened on the train, the soldiers' death, the kids' involvement, him killing the MECH soldiers, and how they haunted his dream; all of it came pouring out in a river of emotions, as tears of both pain and relief trailed down his face.

He'd waited nearly a month with this secret, unable to tell anyone except Optimus about it, and even then, he didn't talk with the leader about the event. Now though, his mother was here. She knew who the Bots were, and he didn't have hide it anymore.

He started coming to the end of his sudden confession, and the room fell into silence. June was shocked, to say the least, by what Jack had told her. The fact that her son had killed three men did not sit well with her.

But she also knew that he'd only reacted on instinct and that he clearly regretted his actions deeply.

June cleared her throat, and Jack looked up at her again, wiping the tears of his face. "Jack," she started. "I know you feel like what you did was bad, and I would be lying if I didn't agree with you."

Jack hung his head in shame. "But," June continued, causing him to look back up in confusion. "Just because you did something bad does not make you a bad person," she explained.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked.

"You feel bad about what you did right?" she asked, and Jack nodded, not sure why his mom seemed to want to make him feel worse. "That means you're not a monster or a killer," she explained

"I would be far more worried if you felt nothing from what you did, but you've clearly felt something from the experience, and that alone is a sign that you are not a monster," she said with a smile.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise at the logic. He'd never thought about it before, but his mom was right. Jack did feel guilty for what he did, and since then had worked hard to rein his temper in, with varying degrees of success.

Jack looked at his mom with a smile and hugged her. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Anytime, Jack, anytime," she said softly.

_Later that day, at Autobot HQ…_

"Basketball, by way of Cybertron," Miko said. "Let the games begin!" And blew on her game whistle.

"Ow!" Jack yelled. "Did you have to blow that so close to my ear? Super hearing, remember?"

Miko ignored him and watched the Cybertronian basketball game between Bee and Bulkhead unfold before her. Bee spun the metal ball on his servo before flinging at the makeshift basketball net attached to the walkway. Bulkhead jumped in the air, catching the ball with a triumphant laugh before landing on the ground with a thud.

The green mech jumped in the air and twisted, tossing the ball into the basket, nothing but net.

"Yeah! Go Bulk!" Miko yelled excitedly.

The ball bounced back to Bulkhead, who turned to Bumblebee. "Come on, best two out of three," he said.

He tossed the ball to Bee, and he caught it before taking off. He dodged and weaved as Bulk tried to grab the scout, to no avail. Bee spun around one of his attempts to block and made a dash for the basket.

"Bee, you're in the clear!" Raf cheered.

The mech approached the basket. "Dunk it Bee!" Raf yelled from the sidelines.

The yellow Bot suddenly came to a halt, right at the base of the basket, optics widening. Everyone looked at the mech with some confusion, Jack hearing the sounds of his processor in overdrive.

He stood like that for several seconds in silence, before Bulk interrupted it. "Bumblebee," he called, "quit hogging the ball."

Without warning, Bee twisted on his heel, leaned back, and flung the ball at the Wrecker. Bulk barely dodged the flying projectile, as it missed his head with a loud whoosh. It crashed into the rock wall behind him and fell to the floor, bouncing heavily across the ground.

The shrill whistle could be heard coming from Miko as she slid down the ladder. "Flagrant foul!" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the Bot, who was looking around in confusion.

"Dodgeball, by way of Cybertron," Jack quipped.

"Bee, hoop's over there," Bulk said, pointing at the basket.

Bee let out a series of buzzes and whirrs, while shrugging his shoulders apologetically.

"Bee, you okay?" Raf asked in concern.

The mech let out a few more series of buzzes and beeps, while holding up three servos.

"Yeah, three out of five," the boy said, the concern gone.

Later, after Bee proceeded to thrash Bulkhead, with four wins out of seven, Jack was wandering the base, as per usual. It was a habit he'd started getting into, partially so he could learn it inside and out, and in case there were any rogue scraplets wandering the base that he might have missed.

He was actually returning to the med bay now, where Raf and Miko were, when he saw Bumblebee in the decontamination chamber, optics dimmed. Ratchet, Optimus, and Raf were standing in front of it, concern etched on their faces.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jack asked as he walked in.

Ratchet turned to him. "Bumblebee is complaining of intermittent visions," the medic explained. "Waking nightmares, if you will."

"But you said Bee was fine when you checked him over," Raf said, the worry for his friend obvious.

"Physically," Ratchet said, "but the experience he endured in Megatron's mind seems to be having a temporary effect on his psyche."

"Anyway, you can fix it?" Jack asked. He wasn't great friends with Bee. That was Raf's position, but he still saw himself as a friend, and, as always, Jack hated to watch his friends in pain.

"This induced power down should allow Bumblebee's mind to rest and recover," the doctor said.

A sudden message ping from Fowler drew everyone's attention to the terminal. Everyone except Raf, who sat by the power downed Bee.

"He'll be fine Raf," Jack said comfortingly.

"Are you sure?" the younger boy asked.

Jack nodded. "Bee's strong. Heck, he managed to survive going into Megatron's brain, that alone is worth something."

Raf smiled a little. "Thanks Jack."

"No problem." Jack turned and walked up beside Arcee as Fowler's face appeared on screen.

"Prime, you spot any Cons wearing hula skirts lately?" the Agent asked.

Miko snorted trying not to laugh too hard, while Jack raised an eyebrow. The agent always knew how to make a weird shift into a subject.

"No, Agent Fowler. Why?" Optimus asked, confused by the odd question.

"'Cause I was hoping you had a lead on the cons who busted into the Kauai naval observatory," the agent explained, adding context to his 'joke'. "Place looked like it was hit by an army of wrecking balls."

"Why would Cons break into an observatory?" Arcee asked.

"Does the Heuck Nigoghossian ring any bells?" Fowler asked.

"The what now?" Miko asked.

"The space telescope," Raf explained to the girl.

"And as of last night, missing its primary lens," Fowler said

"It's difficult to guess Starscream's intent without knowing where the lens has been taken," Optimus told the agent.

"Good thing the lens has a tracking device," Fowler said smugly.

A world map appeared on screen and began rotating. It slowly came to a halt near the northern icecaps in the arctic.

Arcee said what was on everyone's mind. "The Arctic? Great, another chance to freeze our sparkplugs off," she deadpanned. Jack looked up at the platform to hear Miko's two cents and saw the girl was gone. What was she up to?

Suddenly the scanners started beeping and zoomed in. A faint outline of what vaguely resembled a ship appeared on screen.

"Ratchet," Optimus asked, "what are we looking at?"

"Hmm, based on preliminary scans, I would guess it is possibly an ancient Cybertronian ship that may have crash landed here eons ago," Ratchet said, thoughtfully tapping his chin with a servo.

"What would an ancient Cybertronian vessel be doing on Earth?" Jack asked.

Arcee answered her partner's question. "Before the war, even before the Golden Age, Cybertronians explored the stars, visiting a lot of planets to study new life or establish colonies. It's possible one of the ships crash landed here on Earth during that time."

Jack nodded in understanding. That made sense.

"The ship would be unreachable," Optimus said, "until Starscream melted his way down to it."

"With the help of the lens," Arcee murmured.

"Melting a glacier that large would cause sea levels to rise and demolish coastal cities," Fowler said in worry.

Optimus narrowed his optics. "Autobots, prepare to ground bridge."

_Aboard the Nemesis…_

Starscream stood on the stern of the Nemesis, observing the repetitive white landscape that was the Arctic. The only reason he was here in this Pit forsaken place, was to mine a possible ancient Cybertronian ship. The possible technological benefits for the Decepticons would be astounding, something Megatron could never claimed to have accomplished.

Starscream smirked. "Let the reign of Starscream… _Begin!"_

With that said, his newly appointed second in command, Knockout, who had achieved the rank by agreeing to try and help Starscream axe off Megatron, relayed the command to the Vehicons.

There was a sound of groaning metal, and then a large object rose from the stern. It was taller than Starscream and appeared to be a large turret of sorts, a Vehicon seated in the command chair. It had a long barrel that came to a stop at a large glass cylinder. Six metal tubes came out from the bottom of the cylinder to the top, where there was a large disc shaped object, the lens, outfitted to work as a heat ray.

The heat ray aimed downwards, and energy coursed through it. Orange energy began to coalesce at the very front, slowly growing large and larger with every passing second, a whirring sound ever present in the background.

Then, in one mighty blast, a roaring beam of energy burst forth, slamming into the ice below, the initial layers burning off in a hiss of steam. It would take time to melt through the ice and reach the ship, but when it did, the Autobots, would not hope to stand against their might.

_Back at base…_

"Autobots, we must be swift, and we must be efficient" Optimus said as he stood in front of Arcee and Bulkhead. "Millions of human lives hang in the balance. We cannot fail."

"That is why I am bridging you as closely as possible," Ratchet said, as he punched in the coordinates. "The weather there is far less hostile than last time, roughly -2 degrees Celsius. You needn't worry about freezing over."

Jack let out a sigh of relief as the Bots prepared to head through the portal. Last time Arcee and Optimus had gone somewhere cold, the result had nearly killed the two. He was glad they wouldn't have to worry about a repeat.

He watched as the Bots left, Optimus first, as usual, then Bulkhead, and, finally, Arcee. As the last two were leaving though, Jack saw a small figure dashing behind them. Looking closer, he realized it was Miko, decked out in Snow gear.

Realizing Ratchet wouldn't notice, Jack let out a groan and raced after the girl. Even with his speed, he was slowed by the stairs and caught her as she jumped into the arctic ice. The bridge closed behind him, and the boy let out a curse.

"Miko, what were you thinking?!" he yelled, as he looked for the Bots.

"I was thinking it would be cool to snap some pics of the Bots fighting in the Arctic," she said calmly as she ran out to watch the unfolding battle between the Bots and Cons.

Jack shook his head as he followed her. He'd left his phone back at base, purely by accident, and wouldn't be able to call Ratchet for a bridge. Now, he'd have to make sure Miko didn't get hurt while trying to play Bot paparazzi.

Miko came to a stop by a large glacial wall, and Jack stood by her, trying to make sure she was okay. She was dressed for winter conditions, though where she'd kept the clothes was beyond him. Jack wasn't worried for himself. He didn't even feel cold, whether that meant the heat ray was heating things up or that he was immune to the cold was up for debate.

He turned and looked when he heard a loud ruckus and saw the now one opticed Con Breakdown engaging Bulkhead and Arcee. He was the only Con Jack hadn't engaged in combat yet, and, given his size, he wasn't sure if it was such a great idea either.

Jack watched as Arcee charged the Con with a war cry, closing the distance swiftly. Breakdown growled and lumbered forward; she leaped into the air deploying her arm blades eyes narrow and focused. As she descended arms in front of her face, aiming to decapitate Breakdown, he reached out and caught her arms and swung her over his head behind him.

Arcee flew back, curling and twisting in the air; landing with a grunt, skidding to a halt and absorbing the impact with her knees, a hand extended to balance herself. The cold snow muting her metal screech.

Breakdown shifted his attention to Bulkhead, charging at him and changing his hand into a hammer, chuckling manically as Bulkhead mirrored his approach with his wrecking ball. Bulkhead swung his wrecking ball up as Breakdown brought down his hammer. The great weapons boomed at the impact, sending out a shockwave; cracking the ice under them and creating a fissure.

Jacked gunned on instinct, dashing out and shoving Miko out of the line of fire. The shockwave blasted him, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying into the glacier wall. He tumbled around twice, knocking up snow that swirled around him, before righting himself, landing on his hands and knees; the long fissure forming underneath him.

"Jack!" Miko called.

Jack shakily stood up and looked at the girl before smiling and giving her the thumbs up. Suddenly, the sound of thunder shook through the glacier, only it wasn't thunder. It was cracking ice. Jack looked down and back up, ready to move, but right as he took a step, the ground gave way beneath him, and he fell through the ice.

_Under the Arctic…_

Jack groaned as he hit the bottom of the cave he'd fallen into. Apparently, the area he'd been standing over lead into a small ice cave that had formed thousands of years ago from a large air bubble.

Now the teen stood and examined the area he was in. It was a roughly 12x12 area just large enough for two or three adult humans. This left Jack with some room to stretch. He felt his vertebrate pop as he stretched his back and let out a satisfied grunt.

Finished with his stretch, he looked up to where he had fallen and saw the entrance was sealed shut with ice and snow. Jack sighed. Looks like he'd have to get a little wet.

His eyes began to glow red, when he felt a sudden vibration from the pendant. "What the?" he said as the pendant began to lightly vibrate. He took off the necklace and looked at the small pentagon shaped object.

He lifted it up and examined it, but except for its constant vibrating, nothing else occurred. A sudden idea sparked in Jack's mind, and he began turning in place to the right with the pendant in his outstretched palm. He noticed that as he turned, the vibrations grew stronger and stronger. It nearly grew to the point where he could actually hear the vibrations as much as feel them.

As he continued to turn, they began to grow weaker. Sensing a pattern, Jack turned back to the left, and the vibrations grew stronger. He lifted the pendant up and down and saw the humming and vibrating grew stronger when he lowered it.

Raising an eyebrow, Jack walked forward, and the pendant's movement grew even stronger. Realizing that it clearly was trying to lead him somewhere, Jack used his X-ray vision to begin seeing through the ice. He couldn't quite make out what he saw; the ice was, after all quiet thick; but it appeared to be a large object of sorts. The only thing keeping Jack away was about a thousand feet of ice.

He smirked and activated his heat vision. It quickly began cutting through the ice, water melting off and evaporating in droves at its touch. He began walking forward and increased the intensity, and, to his delight, a human size tunnel began to form.

He continued walking downward, his worries about being trapped in the ice forgotten. Whatever this thing was in the ice, it could possibly explain who he was and why he was here. Jack would finally have found his own answers.

There was a sudden crack, and the ice in front of him gave way, having little support left, given that Jack had managed to melt through over a thousand feet of ice. He stepped out of his makeshift tunnel and felt his jaw gape in surprise.

Frozen in the ice before him was not some relic or piece of technology, but a massive ship, frozen in ice. Jack couldn't see the whole thing, but if he had to guess, it was roughly half the size of the Nemesis. It was larger at the stern, and progressively got smaller as it reached the bow, and the top and bottom were connected by a wall roughly 10 feet high.

Several large cube outlines could be seen at the back of the ship and were clearly rocket engines of some sort. The ship was made of some sort of steel with little reflective properties, and it was a bronze steel color.

The cavern around the ship itself was massive, easily larger than the silo back at base, the ceiling stretching several hundred feet high. The walls stretched out just as far, and it was all made of ice.

Jack looked forward and saw a single open door in the ship, near the bottom where the ice reached up to touch it, creating a large frozen ramp into the ship. Jack approached the ship and walked inside, listening carefully for any sign of possible life.

He doubted anything could be living in here, but one could never be too careful. His time with the Bots showed him that expecting the unexpected was a way of life.

Jack entered the ship into what looked like a sort of sleeping room. Pods lined the walls, lying horizontal with glass windows. Jack approached one of them and saw it was covered in dust and ice. Wiping a hand over it, Jack stumbled back in surprise.

Inside the pod was the rotted remains of a human-like creature, having only been partially preserved by the ice and lack of air. Jack shook his head of the gruesome image and decided to continue onwards. After seeing the corpse though, the teen was less than willing to explore.

He still remembered what happened when Optimus and Ratchet last explored an ancient abandoned ship. The Autobot leader had emerged with the alien equivalent of the bubonic plague, and Jack desperately hoped that he wouldn't encountere the same thing here.

To his surprise though, the ship was in great condition, looking almost new, he assumed. The hallways were long and smooth, appearing almost organic. They were also very tall for some odd reason, tall enough that, if he crouched, Optimus Prime himself could fit. It would be snug, but he would fit.

Jack continued to explore, his footsteps echoing through the hallways. The ship was a network of corridors it seemed, and Jack was intent on exploring them all.

The teen walked through an open door into a larger area that seemed to be some sort of large lobby. A noise to his right startled him, and he looked to see a pedestal assemble itself. Jack was amazed. If this ship was even partially functioning, then the people who built it were incredibly gifted.

The pedestal finished assembling itself, and Jack was shocked by what he saw. In the center of it was a pentagon shape that was the exact same shape as his pendant. Jack looked at the pendant, which had stopped humming a while ago, and back to the pedestal.

He took the pendant between his index finger and his thumb and began to insert the pendant into the slot, uneven side first. There was a sudden suction, and it was ripped from his grasp into the slot, sticking out another inch, as if awaiting a final push. Jack realized with a start that it was and slowly pushed the pendant into the slot.

Lights began blinking on across the ship, and a gentle thrumming sound reverberated through the hull. Jack looked around in wonder at what he'd done. The ship had literally come to life under his touch.

A sudden form appeared out of the corner of Jack's eye, and he turned to look, just barely seeing a figure walk down a hall. "Hello!?" he called out. No answer.

Jack jogged after the figure, turning down the hallway to see no sign of it. He scanned the area for signs of the figure, but found nothing. A sudden presence caused him to turn around. He saw the same figure again for a brief moment longer.

The figure was male and wore a long flowing robe, but that was all the detail Jack could work out before he disappeared down another corridor, walking at a casual pace.

Jack raced after the figure down the corridor, and found himself in a large open room with a large window at the other end. In the middle of the room, was what looked like a large command chair with a bulbous back; wires stretched from the chair and into the ceiling and floor. This had to be the command center of the ship, where the crew controlled it.

"It warms my heart to see that you are growing into a fine young adult," a deep calming voice with a slight British accent said from behind.

Jack whirled around to see the man standing before him. He was slightly taller than Jack, roughly 6'2". He had a serious but calm face, lines of age just starting to trace themselves across it. He wore a thick but well trimmed goatee and mustache that connected, flecked with bits of white. His hair was thick black and brushed back coming down to just past the base of his skull. His eyes were royal blue and seemed to contain great wisdom and sorrow.

He appeared well built with thick, muscled limbs concealed underneath a flowing, bronze colored robe. The robe itself was very alien in appearance and covered a black under suit with something emblazoned upon the chest, though Jack couldn't make it out.

Jack immediately assumed his fighting position and glared at the strange man. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The man crossed his arms behind his back. "I am Jor-El, head scientist of Krypton, or I was," he said, a sad look briefly passing over his face.

"How come I can't see your skeleton, your internal organs, any of that?" he asked, only slightly relaxing.

"Because I am not truly here. I am merely a ghost, the remnants of the original Jor-El's consciousness," Jor-El explained.

"Okay…" Jack said. "Are you the ship AI? I mean, where did you come from?" he asked.

Jor-El shook his head. "I have no direct connection to this ship, though its presence here was one of many factors for why we sent you here Kal-El."

Jacks eyes widened in shock. "W-what did you c-call me?" he stuttered.

"That is your name, your Kryptonian name. You are Kal-El of the house of El, and you are my son," Jor-El said, a light smile on his face.

Jack's eyes widened even further, at this point resembling an owl's. "Y-you're my father?" he asked.

Jor-El nodded. "I am, and I know you must have many questions, all of which I will happily answer for you," he said.

Before Jack could even start, the entire ship shuddered, causing Jack to slightly stumble. "What was that?" he asked.

"It would appear that someone is attempting to melt through the ice. This is most convenient," Jor-El said calmly.

Jack turned to his father. "What do you mean?"

"With the ice having weakened and the ship online, it will be a simple process to move the ship to a safer location," Jor-El explained.

"Wait, what? I can't leave here. My friends are up top in the middle of a battle," Jack said.

"Relax Kal, I will simply move the ship to a safer location. Once the movement has been successful, I will explain everything, and you will be able to return to your friends," Jor-El said, as the sound of cracking ice began to fill the cavern and ship.

"Now," Jor-El said, "you may want to hold onto something. This could get bumpy."

Jack grabbed hold of the chair and tried not to crush it in a death grip while the ship began to break through the ice.

_On the Surface…_

Arcee and Bulkhead helped Optimus up off the ground. After he had destroyed Starscream's heat ray, the Prime had been left on the ground, disabled from the explosion. Starscream himself had nearly ended his life, had it not been for the timely interference of Megatron. It would be only the second time that the Bots were grateful that the warlord lived, and likely the last.

Optimus put a servo to his com as he stood. "Ratchet, we need a ground bridge."

"You are not the only one," Ratchet said as he walked towards the group, Bumblebee in tow with his human charge waving happily from his shoulder.

Ratchet quickly explained the events that had occurred while the team had been preoccupied. They had been shocked, to say the least, when they learned that Bee had been possessed by Megatron, though they quickly forgave the scout for what had happened. After all, it wasn't his fault Megatron had seized control of him.

Their reunion was interrupted by the sound of quiet sobbing echoing through the glacial valley. "You hear that?" Arcee asked. "It sounds like…"

"Miko!" Bulkhead yelled as he spotted the small girl lying on her knees over a fused fissure. She had her head buried in her hands and was sobbing.

The Bots quickly rushed over to the girl. "Miko," Bulkhead scolded, "what are you doing here?"

Miko looked up, not at him, but at Arcee, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Arcee. He was just trying to protect me and he…"

Arcee's optics widened as the gears clicked. "Where's Jack?" she growled.

"H-he-" Miko started.

"Where is he?!" Arcee yelled.

Miko looked down at the frozen groun, and another sob escaped her lips.

"No… NO!" she yelled, and Arcee fell to her own knee's frantically digging through the snow. "Jack, where are you JACK!?" she screamed.

"Arcee, calm yourself," Optimus ordered, but the femme ignored him, digging through the snow faster and faster as tears of antifreeze formed in her optics. First Tailgate, then Cliffjumper, and now… Jack.

"Arcee!" Optimus said more firmly, catching her attention.

The femme looked to her leader, a sad look on her faceplate. "Jack is not so easily extinguished, we will find him. We simply need to begin searching," Optimus said.

Arcee nodded and stood to her pedes shakily. Suddenly, without warning, the entire glacier began to shake. It was as if a massive earthquake was occurring, and the Bots and their charges struggled to stay on their feet.

The sound of thunderous cracking filled the air, and the group turned to see the ice that Starscream had been excavating was beginning to crack and shatter. Large pieces shot into the air, as ancient air from eons ago fought to escape, blasting more and more ice and steam upwards.

A final massive crack appeared, and the entire area caved in, collapsing into a massive crater, hundreds of feet deep, but that wasn't the focus of the Bots. The focus was the massive ship rising from the crater. While not as large as the Nemesis, it was still massive and slowly rising out of the crater. Several thrusters were propelling it into the air, and their thrumming could be heard and felt by the assembled multi-racial group.

The group stared at the ship, which looked vaguely similar to the Ark, a ship used to transport the Autobots off of Cybertron, but thinner, particularly at the front end. It was also significantly darker and shorter, as well as more organic in appearance.

There was a loud boom, and the ship took off, moving far faster than its size would suggest possible, off into a different direction. It soon disappeared from sight, leaving the Bots and their charges to gaze in wonder.

"Optimus, was that the ship that Starscream was excavating?" Ratchet asked.

"It would appear so, old friend. I doubt that we would be able to find it again, so for now our search for Jack must continue," Optimus said, and the Bots got to work, looking for their lost friend and partner.

_Aboard the ship, somewhere in Greenland._

Jack watched from the view port in wonder as the ship slowly descended until it hovered a few mere feet above the ground, as steady as a rock. He had seen the Bots looking at the ship when he took off, though he knew they couldn't see him. Jack smiled. He almost wished they knew he was in here, just so he could see the priceless look on their faceplates.

"Now that we have landed, I am sure you have many questions Kal," Jor-El said, regaining Jack's attention.

"Yeah, you could say that," Jack muttered, before taking a deep breath. "Okay, first question, why did you send me away to Earth?" he asked.

Another sad look passed Jor-El's face before his neutral one returned. "To understand that Kal, you must understand the history of Krypton, our home world. Come, walk with me," the man said and gestured for him to follow.

Jack hesitated for only a minute before following. "Kryptonians, that's the name of our race, spawned from Krypton and achieved space flight over 100,000 years ago," the AI explained as they walked through the halls. "With it achieved, we entered a golden age that lasted for eons, discovering and terraforming countless worlds to fit our needs. Sadly, it was not to last."

"What happened?" Jack asked.

Jor-El sighed. "Artificial population control," he answered. Jack raised a brow at his father, and the man elaborated. "We discovered how to grow and birth children in great numbers, each given their own genetic destiny, their role in Kryptonian society. With this discovery, the many colonies established were abandoned, and, one by one, they died off. Eventually, the entire Kryptonian race had returned to Krypton, each family created to serve a singular purpose, but Krypton lost something important with that discovery."

Jor-El turned to his son with a smile. "Choice. That, Kal, is one of the things that makes you special. You were the first natural Kryptonian birth in centuries."

"So why send me away? Why abandon me on Earth with no way of knowing who or what I am?" Jack asked, his voice starting to rise.

"Calm yourself Kal. You have your mother's temper. We did not send you off because we did not love you. No, your mother and I loved you from the moment you were born. Sending you away was the hardest decision of our lives, but we had no choice. There was no other way." Jor-El said.

"What do you mean by," the teen asked, "no other way?"

Jor-El let out another sad sigh. "Krypton was doomed Kal. Our selfishness, our abuse of our planet's core doomed us. The planet had grown unstable under our leader's influence. One of our military leaders, General Zod, attempted to correct their mistakes by launching a coup, but by then it was too late. Krypton had only days left, and his coup forced us to send you away even sooner than we'd anticipated, with less preparation."

Jack turned to Jor-El. "So is Krypton…"

"Gone?" Jor-El said. "Yes, as is the Kryptonian race. You are the last living Kryptonian."

Jacks eyes widened. "Y-you mean that when I die, your, I mean, our race will be extinct?"

Jor-El smiled again. "No Kal, we will not."

"What do you mean? If I am the last Kryptonian, how can our race survive?" Jack only knew what he was for five minutes, and he was already worried about the fate of his own race.

"Because," Jor-El said as he stopped in front of a door, "you may be the last living Kryptonian, but you are not the last Kryptonian." The door opened, and Jack gasped at the sight before him.

A massive glass window was the only thing separating Jack from the sight before him. Massive vines hung in a large water tank, as wide across as Jack, and with many sprouting limbs. On the end of each limb was a small orange sphere, like an un-ripened grape on a vine. Robotic organisms swam from limb to limb, examining the spheres and the tentacles they were attached to.

"What is this place?" Jack asked in wonder.

"This is the genesis chamber, a device used to create colonies as well as maintain a stable population," Jor-El explained.

"Isn't this ship hundreds, if not thousands, of years old?" Jack asked.

"Indeed it is, but Kryptonian technology is built to last. Krypton was a very unforgiving world, much more so than Earth. The process you see before you was in hibernation, awaiting the day when it could be activated," Jor-El said.

"When will the first Kryptonians be born?" Jack asked warily. He wasn't sure if hundreds of super powered people living on Earth was a good thing.

Jor-El chuckled. "Not for a long time my son. For you see, without the Codex, the fetuses will never grow and develop."

Jack turned to him. "The Codex?"

"A device that contained all the genetic codes for past and future generations," Jor-El explained.

"So where is it?" Jack asked.

"That I cannot reveal Kal, not until you are ready," Jor-El said.

"Ready? For what?" the Kryptonian asked.

"Ready to act as the mediator between Kryptonians and humans. That was why we sent you here. In time, though they may stumble, and some may fall behind, the humans will accept you. When they have, the Codex shall be revealed to you," Jor-El said.

"No pressure," he mumbled to himself.

He looked back up to Jor-El. "One more question. Why am I like this, why can I do all of these amazing things? Were we like that on Krypton?" Jack asked.

"No," Jor-El said, "we were not. As I said, Krypton was a far harsher world than Earth. Earth's sun is younger than Krypton's, your cells have drank in its radiation, strengthening your muscles, skin, and bone to levels I would never have imagined. The atmosphere is more nourishing than Krypton's, the gravity weaker. All these factors combined have allowed you to develop incredibly abilities."

"Did you know this would happen?" Jack asked.

Jor-El nodded. "I did, in fact it was the other reason we chose Earth. Your mother and I wanted you to have the safest chance of growing up. This planet was the best option available. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Jack shook his head. "Then there is much I have to ask you," Jor-El said.

"Me?" Jack asked, confused.

"Of course, I have all of Jor-El's memories, hopes, and desires. I am your father in almost every sense of the word," Jor-El said.

Jack took in a deep breath. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

_Later…_

Jack and Jor-el had talked aimlessly for nearly 30 minutes, Jack explaining what had happened in the early parts of his life. The majority of their talk had been spent on talking about the Autobots and Decepticons. Jor-El had been shocked to discover that such beings existed and in the end had asked Jack to tell him about them.

He'd skimmed over Bulkhead, Bee, and Ratchet, since he knew them the least, but had explained Optimus and Arcee in great depth. He'd told him about how understanding Optimus had been of his gifts and swore not to tell, as well as how wise and intelligent he was.

He also told him of the men he had killed and the nightmares he'd received because of it. "Kal," Jor-El said to his son. "Know this, that no matter what you may think, and despite what you did, I am and always will be proud of you. You could not hope to disappoint me."

Jack smiled at this, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. He hadn't felt this good in ages and was relieved to have finally heard the words from his father. With that subject over he continued telling him of the Autobots and his friends.

Jack spent a good deal of time talking about his partner. He'd told him about their missions together, some of their talks, even how the two had fought off Airachnid twice. The way he talked about her though, made her sound like the most amazing thing he'd ever met.

"You care for this Arcee, don't you Kal?" Jor-El asked.

"Well yeah," Jack said. "She's my partner, and, in a way, she and I have a lot more in common than I thought," he said, chuckling a little.

"Indeed," Jor-El said. His head suddenly perked up. "It is finished," he said.

"What's finished?" Jack asked as Jor-El began leading him down the halls.

"When I created the command key," Jor-El explained, motioning to the pendant Jack had resumed wearing around his neck, "I installed blueprints for a suit to help assist your abilities."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked as they stopped in front of a large, sealed pod.

"A suit that was designed to act as both a symbol and a piece of equipment. This," Jor-El said as he pulled the upper part of his robe apart, revealing the exact same symbol on his chest as on the key, "is your family symbol. On Krypton, it stands for hope, which in turn is what you are, a guiding hope for the future of humanity and Kryptonians alike."

His small speech finished, the pod they stood in front of opened, hissing open as steam came out. Jack eyed the suit and turned to Jor-El. "I am not wearing that," he stated plainly.

"Yes, you are," Jor-El said.

"No, I'm not," Jack replied.

"Unless you want a repeat of your encounter with Airachnid, I suggest you do," Jor-El countered.

Jack raised an eyebrow at him, and Jor-El explained. "The fabric it is woven from is specifically designed to better help your cells absorb the sun's rays. With it, your powers will never drain, even at night, unless you push yourself to your very limit."

Jack sighed. "Fine, I see your point." And turned to the suit. Well there were worse things to wear.

_Later…_

The doors hissed open as Jack walked outside the ship, now dressed in the new uniform from his father. Now that he wore it, he realized it wasn't quite as bad as he thought, though it wasn't great either.

The main color of the suit was a dark blue color that seemed to both reflect and absorb sunlight at the same time. It was full bodied, and came all the way to his neck, right under his chin, and a long red cape ran down his back, stopping just above his ankles. On both his hands he wore red gauntlets, with a silver line at the end of each. He wore a pair of red boots as well, sealed to the suit and seamless. The whole suit, in fact, appeared seamless.

A red belt was equipped around his waist with a silver belt buckle. The belt itself was an interesting device. It was designed with subspace compartments, similar to the ones the Autobots used, that allowed him to store whatever items he needed to. In this case said items were the civilian clothes he wore.

Emblazoned across his chest was the crest of the El family. It was shaped like an upside down pentagon with a red S in the middle and yellow occupying the spaces. All in all, the suit had an air of almost…Respect to it. An aura that said that whoever wore it was there to help and protect.

But Jack wasn't out here in the snow to admire his new look. According to his father, there was only one way to return to his friends. Unfortunately, Jack would have to do some experimenting to do it.

Jack knelt on the ground relaxing, fists on the ground next to him and took a slowly deep breath. He tensed every part of his body in preparation and with one great fluid motion he leaped up into the air. Soaring up into the sky; past the clouds the wind whistling in his ears.  
The ground came up fast but Jack barely touched it before leaping up into the air again higher then before. Looking down he resisted the urge to scream as he fell, drew from the clouds sticking to is armour. The ground came and again he was up in the air ever higher.

Higher and higher he soared, becoming more relaxed and straightening out as he flew upwards. He stretched his arms out to steady himself as he flew and slowly realized that he was flying. After months of trying he was really flying; he let out a victorious cry and started to wobble out of control.

"No, NO, No!" he started plummeting to the ground, he flew towards a large snow covered mountain covering his face. This was going to hurt.

He crashed through the mountain with a boom; the peak of the mountain crumbling to dust and rubble as he went. Colliding with the ground, skipping like a stone leaving deep gashes in the earth. Sliding to a stop he laid still for several moments, reeling from the impact.

The Kryptonian teen stumbled back to his feet leaning over and panting. "Well that was fun." he mumbled climbing out of the crater.

A few steps from the crater he kneeled again to concentrate; resting a single fist on the ground his other arm spread out behind him. He felt the power buildup inside of him; like a wave of energy begging to be released. As it grew stronger dust and snow began to leave him and a small deep rumbling could be heard emanating from the ground.

Releasing all at once he shot of like a rocket, cape billowing out as he soared. Pouring energy into his flight he could see a large white airstream forming around him. He smirked at the BOOM as he shattered the sound barrier.

He laughed gleefully passing through the clouds, gaining control of his new found flight. He traced the top of the clouds skimming his hands through them feeling the moisture collect on his skin. Laughing he dove through the clouds leaving a small hole behind him.

Propelling himself downward the white snowy floor rushed up to meet him. Pulling up at the last second he shot across the ground swerving from left to right, then turning on his back watching his flight churn up ice and snow in swirling patterns.

Smiling he shot shot back up into the air, the sound barrier his plaything as he flew higher and higher; until the blue sky faded to black. Slowly coming to a stop floating high above the clouds tens of thousands of feet above Earth.

For several moments he floated there, his eyes shut, and for the first time in his life, he allowed his senses to expand to his fullest. He heard a myriad of voices enter his skull, billions at once, sounding like the white static of a television. A single voice, though, caught his attention.

_"Optimus…What if we can't find Jack?"_

Jacks eyes snapped open. That was Arcee's voice! Jack immediately slapped his forehead in anger. He'd completely forgotten about the Bots and how they likely thought he was dead by now. But he couldn't just fly down in front of them; he was still reluctant to reveal what he was with them. He would soon, but not quite yet.

An idea sprang to Jack's mind, and he reached into his belt, grabbing his civilian clothes and quickly changing into them. To his shock, his suit actually retracted, the gloves, boots, and cape seeming to simply melt into the rest of the suit. Jor-El hadn't been kidding when he said it had its uses. Jack quickly pulled the clothes on while floating in space, a surreal enough experience, and took off to the Bots' location.

_In the Arctic…_

Arcee fell to her knees in sorrow, trying not to cry in front of the rest of the team. Despite everything she'd protected him from, Jack had likely died alone and cold in a frozen cave. Another partner dead.

Arcee's shoulders heaved as a small sob escaped, and she covered her faceplate with her servos. The tears began to flow when she heard a familiar voice. "Arcee, are you okay?"

Arcee looked up, and, to her utter shock, Jack stood in front of her, a look of concern etched on his face. Arcee's spark leapt for joy, and she scooped the boy up in a hug. "JACK!" she cried in happiness.

"Arcee… You're… crushing… me," he squeaked. The femme immediately dropped him.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. The rest of the Bots gathered around, immediately asking Jack about what happened and how he escaped.

Jack smiled. "Well, when I fell through the fissure, I landed in an underground cave of some kind. There was only one path down there, so I followed it. It lead to another cave with two paths leading out, so I followed them as well. Eventually, I found my way out over there," he said while pointing to a small hole in the snow.

The Bots nodded in understanding, and Ratchet used a remote to activate the ground bridge, something he'd been developing since Jack's capture on the Nemesis.

Despite Jack's insistence that he was fine, Arcee had refused to let him walk and carried him into the base. Jack didn't mind too much, as long as Miko didn't say anything. As luck would have it, the girl and Raf had been bridged home earlier as the search progressed. Bulkhead and Bee immediately called them to let them know the good news.

After Ratchet had checked Jack's vitals (to the best of his abilities), he'd cleared him to go home. He walked up to Arcee. "Ready to head home, partner?" she asked.

"Home sounds good about now," Jack said, and the femme collapsed into vehicle mode, driving Jack out of base.

The ride home was oddly quiet, as neither partner knew what to say. Arcee didn't know how to say she was glad for Jack's safe return, and Jack was lost in thought. He was trying to figure out how he would explain what he was to the rest of the Bots when the time came. And he knew that that time was growing near.

The two pulled into the garage, and Jack jumped off Arcee, ready to go in and tell his mom about what he discovered.

Arcee had something else in mind. "Jack," she called, stopping the boy from entering.

"Yeah Arcee?" he asked.

"I just wanted to say…" She paused. "… thanks for not dying on me out there."

Jack smiled. It wasn't much, but from Arcee, it spoke volumes about how scared she'd been about losing him. "No problem, though next time no bear hugs, please," he joked.

"No promises," she retorted.

"Maybe I should almost die more often then," he said to himself.

"What was that Jack?" Arcee asked.

"Nothing!" he said quickly. "Night Arcee; see you in the morning."

"Night Jack."

Jack walked inside, and saw his mom was in the kitchen. "Mom, mom!" he yelled in a whispered voice.

June turned to her son. "Jack, what's the matter?" she asked.

Jack grinned. "I found them," he said.

"Found who?" June asked, confused by his statement.

"I found my parents," Jack said.

June's eyes widened. "Tell me everything."

Jack excitedly explained everything to June, the ups and downs, his name, what he was, and why he was on Earth. Jack tried to keep his voice down, he really did, but, unbeknownst to him, Arcee had been listening slightly. She didn't hear it all, but she'd heard enough.

Jack had lied to her? He'd blatantly lied to her face about who and what he was. Arcee was furious, beyond furious. He was her partner, her friend, and he'd lied to her when she'd shared her own darkest secrets. She wasn't going to stand for that. Tomorrow, Arcee would confront the boy, and demand he tell her everything. After all, partners don't keep secrets from partners…

**A/N: IT'S FINALLY HERE! Oh my God this is the longest thing I have ever written. Ever, of all time. Not only that, but this story has reached over 60,000 words and 120 reviews by the time this chapter is posted. Not to mention nearly ten thousand views as well. I just want to take a moment to thank all you guys for your support and reviews; they made this story worth writing. Now, onto business. The next chapter is Shadow Zone and will detail what Elhini Prime would coin as the eruption of Mt. Arcee. Seriously, the next chapter is going to be very angsty, so if you don't like that, well sorry. I also would like to give credit to my new editor Ardanna Keeper for her help in editing the fight scenes and providing writing advice. I'm trying to get better, I really am. Also, heads up, this chapter is going to go through a major rewrite concerning the flight scene, as Ardanna was unavailable while I wrote it. I'm posting now because you guys deserve it. Remember to review with critique and PM me for plot ideas or questions. Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Shadow Zone

_Darby Residence, the next day…_

Jack yawned as he woke up. Last night had been the first good night's sleep he'd had in ages. He'd had no nightmares, and his bed had been incredibly comfortable. In fact, he'd felt as if he'd slept on a cloud the whole time.

He looked down and saw he wasn't far off. He was floating a good two or three feet off his bed. He must have started to lift up while he was asleep.

Jack shook his head. Looks like his control over his flight needed some work. Last thing he wanted was to start flying on his way to school by accident.

With slight concentration, the boy fell from the sky and landed on his bed with a slight thump. He got off his bed and proceeded to fulfill his morning routine.

His whole preparation felt better that morning. Finding out who he was and why he was on Earth had taken a huge load off Jack, and he was already starting to feel the effects. His whole body felt…lighter and faster.

Jack smiled as he walked into the kitchen, finding a note from his mom. She'd left home early to get to work, but she would come to base later. Jack shivered at the thought. Last time Mom had come to base, Jack had been afraid Arcee would try and dropkick her off the roof.

He loved his mom to death and would never stay angry at her, but sometimes Jack felt her need to be over protective was unneeded. Jack was, after all, a Kryptonian, and that gave him a huge advantage over the humans on Earth.

Jack smiled again, happy to finally know who and what he was. It had taken his whole life, but he had a reason, a purpose for being here. Well, a purpose besides the Autobots. After all, Jack couldn't act as an ambassador between humans and Kryptonians as long as a secret alien war was going on, could he?

Jack finished his breakfast and walked into the garage. Arcee was still parked where he left her the night before. "Morning Arcee, ready to head to base?"

"Sure," she said bluntly, and Jack got on.

Arcee drove out to base, and the two descended into quiet. Something was off though, Jack noticed. Arcee felt tense, as if something was bothering her.

Being her partner Jack, decided to ask as they pulled onto the long stretch of road to the base. "Arcee, is something wrong? You feel tense."

"I don't know Jack, is something wrong?" she answered, confusing the teen.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Oh I think you do Jack." Arcee paused. "Or should I call you Kal-El?"

Jack practically froze in place on Arcee. How had she known that name? Better yet, how'd she know it was his name? Maybe she'd heard him say the name last night. Whatever the reason, Jack couldn't let her know. Not yet, not now.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about Arcee," he said hesitantly, cursing himself for lying to her.

Arcee skidded to a stop, pulling off the road as she did. "Off now!" she ordered, and Jack got off.

Arcee transformed, and from the look on her face, Jack knew she was pissed. "Cut the scrap Jack. I heard you and June talking last night," she growled.

"H-how much did you hear?" he asked nervously.

"I heard enough," she said moving her faceplate closer to Jack. "What I want to know is why you lied to me. You lied to my face Jack, I thought we were partners!"

"We are!" he protested.

"Partners don't keep secrets from each other, especially ones like that!" she yelled at him.

"What was I supposed to tell you? 'Hey Arcee guess what? I'm not human I'm an alien from another planet strong enough to throw Soundwave through a wall!' Would you have believed me?!" he countered.

Arcee's gaze narrowed. "It doesn't matter if I'd have believed you or not; the point is I told you about Tailgate and Cliffjumper. The least you could have done was tell me that Jack wasn't even your real name!"

"I didn't even know what I was until yesterday!" he yelled back at her, causing her to blink back. "That ship you saw coming out of the ice? Yeah my people built that, and I only found out yesterday!"

Arcee's glare returned. "You have access to an advanced starship, and you won't even let us examine or use it!"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," he said.

"And whys that?" she asked angrily.

"I can't tell you that Arcee. It's too important," Jack answered.

Arcee slammed a servo on the ground, causing Jack to stumble slightly. "That's a load of scrap! I was your partner; I shared my very existence with you, and you won't even give me a reason why!?"

"Arcee I'm still your partner, still Jack, none of that changed or was in doubt," Jack tried to reason.

"No Jack, you're not my partner. Not anymore. After today we're done, unless you plan on telling the others about what you are, don't bother coming to base," she snarled. Jack took a step back in surprise.

"A-Arcee, don't you think you're overreacting!?" Jack yelled

"Overreacting!" she roared. "You lied to all of us, Optimus, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Ratchet! How can we hope to ever trust you if you lie to us!" she said as she jabbed him in the chest.

Jack glared up at her. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what? This?"she said as she jabbed at him again

"Arcee…" he warned, trying to keep his anger under control. This whole scenario frustrated him and her jabs were only making it worse.

"Arcee stop!" he yelled as she jabbed at him again.

She glared at him. "Make me," she growled angrily and jabbed at him again. Moving faster than the eye or optic could track, Jack grabbed her servo and flung Arcee over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground hard.

Jack gasped! "Arcee! I'm sorry I…"

The femme stood up and glared at him. "Have fun walking to base, alien," she snarled and transformed, driving to base.

"It'll be a hell of a lot more peaceful without listening to your pissing and moaning!" he yelled after her as she drove off.

He hung his head as she disappeared. He wanted to explain why he'd lied, why he hadn't told her, but she'd refused to listen to him and downright attacked him about it. Now, he'd made her angry and was basically told not to come to base.

Jack lifted his head up. It wasn't her decision to make he realized. Despite what she said, Arcee couldn't keep Jack away from the base. At least not without arousing suspicion from the others.

Jack let out a sigh and began walking to base. He could have run or even flown, but right now, walking seemed like the best option.

_Later at base…_

Jack sighed as he sat on the couch in the human living area with Raf and Miko. After eventually walking to base, the Bots had asked why Arcee hadn't driven him like usual. Arcee of course hadn't said a word and merely glared silently at the Kryptonian as he walked in.

Jack, not wanting the Bots to get involved in their fight, had said he simply felt like walking today. They'd bought it more or less, except for Optimus, who had asked Jack explain the real reason. Jack told him it was personal and Optimus had left it at that. The Prime was good at knowing when not to pry.

Now though, Jack was sitting on the couch, silently going over the conversation he'd had with Arcee earlier. He wanted to find a way to apologize to her to make up for lying to her. He did truly feel bad for what he'd done and hoped to repair their relationship.

"So Jack, what happened between you and 'Cee? Lovers spat?" Miko asked while doodling on a notepad.

Jack rolled his eyes at her. "She found out about my secret. She didn't take it well, and I may not have helped," Jack whispered.

"Ouch, how bad was it?" she asked.

"Miko," Jack sighed, "can we please talk about this another time? Today hasn't been a good day for me."

She shrugged. "Yeah sure whatever," she said casually.

Jack looked away from her and saw Ratchet watching something on the terminal. "What are you watching Ratchet?" he asked.

"Examining the video footage of the alien ship that emerged from the ice yesterday," Ratchet explained.

Jack hid the worry that was forming in his stomach. "Find anything interesting?"

"Yes actually, while the ship initially appeared Cybertronian in appearance, closer analysis has revealed that the ship's design is unlike any in Cybertronian history," Ratchet explained in wonder.

"So what kinda ship is it?" Jack asked and heard a soft growl from behind him.

He turned to see Arcee glaring at him from the hallway, clearly not happy with his blatant lying.

"Unfortunately, the ship does not match any known designs from encountered alien races," Ratchet said. A sudden beep caught the medic's attention.

"I had hoped that my growing expertise on the subject would remain purely academic," Ratchet said with a note of worry, "but, though faint, this is clearly a darkeEnergon signature, and it's moving fast."

Jack shivered as he remembered the capabilities of the substance. It's ability to weaken or kill Bots upon contact. And its disturbing quality of being able to reanimate the dead. Of course, there was only one being who possessed any of the substance.

"Megatron," Prime said, as if reading Jack's thoughts.

"Where'd he find more of the bad stuff?" Arcee said as she approached with Bulkhead, ignoring Jack completely.

"And what's he gonna do with it, recruit a new army of the undead?" Bulkhead asked.

"Zombiecons!?" Miko exclaimed in excitement.

Optimus put a servo to his chin. "We cannot rule out the possibility," he said, "especially since Megatron appears to be heading to a familiar location."

Optimus turned to the team. "Megatron has barely emerged from stasis, and it seems he's already making up for lost time. Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, prepare to rollout!" Prime ordered.

"Me?" Ratchet asked in confusion.

Optimus turned to the medic. "If we are dealing with dark Energon I may well require your expertise. Arcee-"

The femme gave him a pleading look, begging him to take her with him. "You shall remain here and operate the ground bridge," Optimus ordered.

Arcee's winglets drooped as she nodded in understanding and stood in front of the terminal.

"Go get 'em Bulkhead, bring the hurt," Miko said calmly. Bulkhead slammed his servos together in response.

Jack stared at the girl in shock before turning to Raf. "That's not like Miko to not wanna go," he said, suspicious of the girl's plans.

"She's definitely up to something." Raf agreed.

Arcee pulled down on the lever, and the bridge sprang to life. The four Autobots transformed to vehicle mode and drove through the portal. Miko looked over her shoulder for a brief second, before she took off down the stairs.

"Making a break!" Jack said. He could have called Arcee to stop her and, under normal circumstances, would have, but Jack was still angry with the femme and decided to go after Miko himself with Raf trailing them.

Jack grabbed her arm in the walkway to the portal. "It's not safe! Didn't you learn anything from last time?!" he yelled.

"I am not going to miss my first zombie Con smack down!" she retorted and ripped her arm from Jack's grip. Jack was stunned for a moment and cursed the fact that he had to be gentle around humans.

"Miko!" he called and chased after the girl.

The three exited the portal right as it closed, cutting off their return. Jack saw Miko run up a small hill and lie on her stomach.

"Let's see some fight of the living dead already!" she yelled excitedly.

Jack followed with Raf. "Miko, what were you thinking!" he scolded.

"She wasn't," Raf answered for him.

"Hey, I totally missed out last time. This could be my only time to take some snaps," she explained. Jack let out a groan.

"If it weren't for the fact that the Bots were right there, I'd fly you back to base right now," he said.

"Dude you can't fly," she said.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "How do you think I got back to the Bots after that ship took off?" he asked her.

The girl rolled her eyes at him and reached for her phone. When she couldn't feel it, she stood up searching her pockets and belt. "My cell phone! I must have dropped it back at base!"

"This is all your fault!" she screamed at Jack. "I can't believe you made me lose my phone!"

"How is this my fault?" Jack asked.

The sound of the ground bridge activating caught their attention. Jack and the others turned to it, when another activated over by the mound containing the zombie Con.

"You three, into our ground bridge now!" Ratchet ordered.

"Come on," Jack said hauling Miko to the bridge.

Right as they entered the portal, a massive blast occurred and knocked the three back. After the dust and debris settled, the three kids let out a collective groan and began to get up.

Jack was the first up. "You guys okay?" he asked. It was odd, but the world seemed…duller, as if the light had been tinted grey. He shook his head; there were more important things to worry about.

"Yeah, I think so," Raf answered.

The kids turned as Bulkhead and the others stood to their full heights. "Wha-what just happened?" Bulkhead asked.

"I can't be certain, but if two ground bridges sent to the same coordinates crossed streams, the feedback could have triggered a system overload," Ratchet explained.

"Could? Hello! More like it totally did!" Miko said.

"The kids made it through right?" Bulkhead asked.

The kids looked at the Bots in confusion. "What's he talking about?" Jack murmured.

Miko stormed towards Bulkhead. "Bulkhead, we're right here!" she yelled.

Optimus raised a servo to his com. "Arcee, did the children make it safely back to base?"

"Negative, no sign of them." She paused. "Or Jack," she added bitterly.

Jack winced. "She's really pissed at you, isn't she?" Miko asked.

"You have no idea," he muttered.

"There's no sign of them here either," Ratchet said.

"No sign!" Miko yelled indignantly and stomped to Bulkhead's foot. "Okay, seriously Bulk-" Before she could finish Bulkhead stepped towards her. Miko let out a scream and stumbled back as the mech's foot passed _through_ her.

She stumbled back, and Jack steadied her. "He passed right through you! We might not be alive," Jack said, though he doubted it.

"I don't want to be a ghost!" Raf squeaked as he gripped Jack's leg.

A realization passed through Jack's mind. "Wait, how can we touch each other?" he asked as Miko stood back up.

The Autobots began to walk away from the children. The three followed closely behind, not wanting to lose track of their friends.

"Ratchet, could the children have been transported onto the _Nemesis_ instead?" Optimus asked.

"Not likely," the medic replied. "If Starscream didn't arrive at our base…the most likely explanation is a dislocation. The children may simply have been bridged to an unintended destination."

The kids came to a stop upon hearing Ratchet's words "Another place, but in the same place," Raf said to himself.

"W-What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"We're probably in a different dimension, some sort of alternate reality, a Shadow Zone," Raf explained.

"Nerd alert," Miko announced.

"Look," Optimus said as the bots approached the now empty mound, "Skyquake's tomb is empty,"

"How did we miss Skyquake rising and shining?" Bulkhead asked.

"It would seem Starscream got what he came for," Ratchet said.

"Another matter for another time," Optimus added. "Right now, our priority is locating Jack, Miko, and Rafael. Arcee, bridge us back to base."

A large shape caught the children's eyes. It was a large mech, and it was slowly lumbering towards the Bots, creaking and groaning while it did.

"ZOMBIE!" Miko shrieked.

"Skyquake," Jack whispered. "C'mon, we've got to warn the Bots!"

The trio ran towards their friends.

"Guys! Look out!" Jack shouted.

"BULKHEAD!" Miko screamed.

"It's right behind you!" Raf yelled.

Skyquake tried to slash Bulkhead with his talons, but they went right through him.

"Awesome!" Miko cheered. "It can't touch them either!"

Skyquake turned around and roared, coming towards the kids.

"If that thing can't touch the bots…" Jack started.

"Just like we can't..." Miko added.

"Then we're trapped in the Shadow zone…with a Decepticon zombie!?" Raf finished, very nervously.

"If we aren't ghosts now...we will be soon," Miko said in a small voice.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Jack declared, putting himself between the Con and his friends. "You guys stay behind me; I'll deal with old bucket of bolts."

The two nodded and backed away. Jack turned back to the zombie Con lumbering towards him and focused. There was a small rumbling sound, and Jack lifted off the ground, rising several feet in the air.

He turned to Miko with a grin. "Told you I could fly," he said smugly.

Turning back to the giant, Jack shot towards him like a bullet. He slammed into the mech and punched, sending him stumbling back a few feet. There was a barely noticeable dent in the zombie's armor. Jack looked at his hands in confusion.

"I put all my energy into that punch," he said. "It should have easily ripped him apart."

"Jack look out!" Raf screamed. Jack looked up just in time to see Skyquake swipe at him with his claws. There was a meaty smack, and Jack went flying back. He crashed into the wall behind Miko and Raf and fe.l to the ground.

"Jack, are you okay!?" Miko and Raf said simultaneously as they ran to their friend's side.

Jack struggled to stand, when he felt something drip from his forehead. He ran a hand over it and brought it down. He froze when he saw what it was.

"I-is that b-blood?" he asked staring at the crimson substance on his fingers. "I-is that m-my blood?"

"This isn't good, not good at all." Raf said.

Miko looked at him confused. "Why would it not be good? Of course Jack's bleeding he just got flung into a wall by a zombie."

"No Miko, I shouldn't be bleeding; a hit like that shouldn't even phase me," Jack said. "I've had plenty of sun exposure, why were my powers drained so fast?" he asked no one in particular.

Raf's eyes widened. "What if…this dimension is missing the solar radiation your powers need? What if here," he paused, "what if here… you're human?"

Jacks eyes widened in horror. "Then we need to run. Now!" and he tried standing, before he screamed in pain. "OH GOD MY LEG!" he howled and fell to the ground, clutching his left shin.

Ignoring the pain and tears, Jack did a scan of himself with his X-ray vision, and found his fears were confirmed. "My leg's broken; I can't walk," Jack said.

"Come on then," Miko said and helped support him on his left side.

The three of them hobbled away, the Con slowly following them. They made their way as quickly as possible around a canyon wall, trying to lose the Con. The three stopped for a moment and stood behind the wall breathing heavily.

"Dude, can't you just fly instead?" Miko complained

Jack shook his head as he sucked in air. "I-I can't fly not wit-without constant sunlight. If I had the suit I got from the ship, we'd be fine." Jack mentally cursed himself for not choosing to wear it under his clothes today. In hindsight he really should have, and now he was paying for it.

The three took off again, Miko supporting Jack. The canyon walls were a maze of corridors, and they were making little headway. Every second they could hear the zombie Con getting closer and closer, its incessant moaning never stopping.

"Maybe we could set a trap?" Miko asked as Skyquake pursued them, "try to crush it?"

"With what?" Raf asked. "Nothing around here is solid except us and the ground!"

Jack had an idea and motioned for the two to stop. Limping, Jack turned around to face the Con right as it walked into the corridor. He shot a blast of heat vision, incredibly weakened, and blasted the side of the canyon wall. Large boulders fell from the wall and created a temporary barrier that blocked Skyquake's path.

The three let out a collective sigh of relief and rested against the wall. "How long do you think that'll hold him?"

"Few minutes tops," Jack answered quietly.

Jack suddenly doubled over and began coughing and hacking. He felt something spit out as he did and looked to see he'd coughed up blood. Not only that, but his coughing hadn't helped; breathing was still difficult.

"Getting… harder to… breath," he wheezed, as the three stopped for a moment.

"What's wrong with him?" Miko asked.

"The impact must have punctured a lung," Raf said.

"Need to… need to find a way to contact the Bots," Jack said, shifting into a more comfortable position against the wall.

His phone went off, and he reached for it, careful not to move too fast and worsen his injuries "Nice ringtone," Miko snickered, earning a glare from Jack and Raf.

Jack checked the caller ID. "It's Arcee," he groaned and answered.

_Back at base…_

"Jack, hello? Jack? Nothing," Arcee said uncaringly.

"Aren't you the least bit worried about him!?" Bulkhead demanded.

Arcee shrugged and walked off. "Kid's tough; he can handle himself," she said and disappeared down the halls.

"Why that little…" Bulkhead began, but Optimus cut him off.

"Ratchet, you and the others continue to search for the children. I will go and talk to Arcee," he said and walked after the femme.

Optimus quickly caught up to the femme. "Arcee," he called.

The femme turned to him. "What is it Optimus?" she asked.

"From you and Jack's latest interactions, I assume you discovered his secret?" the Prime asked.

Arcee scowled. "So, he actually told you?" she demanded harshly.

"He did," Optimus confirmed. "Though I must ask, why are you so upset?"

Arcee sighed. "Because he lied to me Optimus. We're partners, and he lied to my face. I trusted him with my deepest darkest secrets, and he couldn't even do the same! Was I not good enough for him to trust!? I was his partner!" she yelled.

Optimus gazed at the femme before speaking. "You feel as though Jack did not trust you?"

"Of course I feel like he didn't trust me!" she yelled, throwing her arms in the air.

The Prime was silent for several moments before talking. "Arcee, did you ever actually ask Jack why he didn't tell you?"

Arcee suddenly grew very quiet. "Well… no, I didn't, but why would that matter?" she asked quietly.

The Prime sighed. "When we have recovered Jack and the others, I suggest you ask him what his reasons were for lying to you. They are… understandable." The Prime turned and walked down the hall, leaving the femme standing there in thought.

_The Shadow Zone…_

"Arcee? Arcee!?" Jack yelled over the phone, leading to more coughing fits.

"Gee, imagine that!" Miko started, sarcastically. "The fourth dimension has _lousy_ cell phone reception!"

"Wait… the phone… the phone _rang,_" Jack began, "We're getting a signal…"

"Maybe the Autobots can't see or hear us because...we're, moving at hyper speed or something," Raf guessed.

"Do you think that, they could read us perhaps?" Jack asked weakly

"Texting!" Raf exclaimed.

"Text me!" Miko said. "If my phone's back at the base…maybe they'll see it!"

A loud crash caught their attention and they turned to see Skyquake plow through the rest of the wall. The Con spotted them and loosed a loud roar before trudging towards them.

"Think you can text and hobble?" Miko asked worriedly.

Jack handed the phone to Raf and leaned on Miko. "Okay…Let's go…Raf, you text them," he said and the three moved as fast as they could.

_Back at base…_

"We're dealing with fluctuating energy profiles inside a wide distortion field, but it may be possible to back trace their coordinates," Ratchet explained as he hurriedly typed on the console.

A small vibration suddenly caught everyone's attention. The Bots turned to the sound and saw Miko's phone vibrating.

"Mikos phone!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "It wasn't vibrating before," he lightly tapped the top, causing it to flip open.

"In alternate dimension with zombie. Jack dying. Help," he read. The room fell completely quiet.

All assembled bots turned to Arcee, whose faceplate was blank. Jack was… Dying? She shouldn't care, but Arcee was worried. Jack was in danger and needed help. Lie or no lie, Arcee was going to provide it.

She turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, can you trace the position of the signal?" she asked quietly.

"In a parallel dimensional plane!?" he yelled. "Let's find out." And he got to work.

While he did that, Arcee called June. "June, it's Arcee. Jack's in trouble and we may need you."

_Back in the Shadow Zone…_

The kids grunted as they pushed Starscream's arm into firing position. They'd stumbled across it while fleeing the Con and planned to use it to fight off Skyquake.

Jack approached the hand of the arm and grabbed the index finger. "Stay… Back…" he wheezed. "Still stronger… than either of you."

The Con began to walk into range of the missile, and Jack waited.

**Thud!**

Wait for it…

**Thud!**

Wait for it…

**Thud!**

Now!

Jack pulled on the index finger, and the missile on the arm shot out towards the zombie Con. There was a large explosion and a brilliant ball of fire and smoke engulfed it. When the smoke cleared the Con still stood.

"Oh come on!" Miko yelled.

There was some sparking and creaking, and Skyquake's right arm fell off. The Con himself stood there stupidly, unsure of what to do.

To the shock and horror of the kids though, the arm began flexing and moving on its own. It flipped itself right side up and charged at the kids; using its fingers to move faster than Skyquake actually could.

A familiar sound caught their attention, and the kids turned to see the ground bridge open behind them.

"The Bots got our text!" Miko exclaimed.

"Go…" Jack ordered and turned to face the claw.

"Jack what are you doing?" Miko demanded.

"Buying you…Time…Arm is too fast…Go!" he yelled.

The two turned to each other and scrambled through appearing on the other side, back in their dimension. Jack faced the clawed arm and grappled with it as it slammed into him. He held it up when it got near him and heaved, throwing it to the side. The claw thrashed for a moment before flipping right side up again.

Jack used that time though to hobble towards the portal. The claw charged at him as he approached it. It was a race between the two as Jack stepped into the light. Right as he was about to step through though, a hot searing pain passed through his back, and he flew through the portal. The arm itself remained trapped in the Shadow Zone, as the portal closed before it could follow.

But Jack lay on the floor, unconscious from the experience. His friends ran to him and helped him up as another ground bridge flared to life. Optimus, Arcee, and Bulkhead walked through to see a heavily injured Jack being cradled by Miko and Raf.

"Jack!" Arcee yelled and ran to the boy. She quickly and gently scooped him out of their grip and ran back through the portal.

"June, is the med bay ready!?" She asked in concern.

The nurse nodded. "Get my boy over here STAT!" she said.

_Later…_

Arcee and Optimus waited outside the med bay for June. They were the only two waiting, as Optimus had ordered the rest of the team into the main waiting area. Until June came out from her work, Jack's secret was at risk, and Optimus had sworn to keep it from the others.

June came out, exhaustion and sadness on her face. "How is he?" Arcee asked.

June turned to her. "I couldn't do much, his skin and bones had already hardened by the time I identified everything. X-rays showed several cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken shin. Right now he's in a coma. Whether or not he'll pull through…" June stopped as a small sob escaped her lips. She couldn't take him to the doctors; there was nothing they would have been able to do about it. The best she could hope for was that Jack's abilities extended to his healing as well.

"Can I…Can I see him?" Arcee asked gently. June just nodded and Arcee walked into the room.

She had to hold back a gasp as she saw Jack. Several bandages had been wrapped around his head and chest area, a cast put into place on his leg. No medical equipment had been hooked up to him except for a heartbeat monitor on his finger. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell weakly.

Arcee sat next to the human sized birth, dwarfed by her large frame. "Hey Jack," she whispered sadly. "I don't know if you can hear me right now but…" she paused searching for the words.

"I'm sorry, so very, very sorry," she sobbed, a few tears escaping her optics. "I know it's meaningless now, but I shouldn't have reacted how I did. I was angry and confused and thought it was because you'd lied to me."

She held back another sob. "It wasn't, I mean it kind of was, but what I meant…What I meant was I felt like I hadn't earned your trust, that you didn't feel you couldn't trust me with something so important. And it hurt. But I realize now I should have let you explain, should have kept my emotions in check."

She placed a single servo on his hand. "Now, I might not even get to truly apologize to you…" Jack's heartbeat suddenly dropped.

"No…" she whispered. "No, no, No, NO!" she yelled. The room was soundproofed to an extent, so no one heard her.

"Jack, please no! Don't do this, not now!" she begged. The heartbeats grew weaker.

"Please no! First Tailgate, then Cliffjumper…Jack I can't lose you. You're my partner, please. I'm SORRY!" she sobbed as the monitor fell silent.

June rushed in with Optimus in tow. "No…" she said, tears in her eyes and she rushed to Jack, frantically checking all his vitals.

June fell to her knees and began sobbing. Optimus picked up the poor women and held her to his chest plates, comforting her, while Arcee stared at Jack's motionless form.

She leaned forward and rested her helm on Jacks forehead. "I'm so sorry for everything Jack…Do you forgive me?" she asked quietly, knowing an answer wouldn't come.

There was a small beep.

And another.

And another.

And another.

"I…. Forgive…. You…." a weak voice said.

Arcee looked up in surprise. "Jack!?"

"Who…. Else?" he asked weakly.

"You're alive!" Arcee and June shouted in unison.

Optimus set June down and she embraced her son, carefully of course. "This shouldn't be possible!" June exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

"Your injuries…" she started.

"Are healing fast," Jack said, his voice regaining its strength. Jack reached up and ripped the bandages off his head to reveal the cut on his forehead was gone, nearly healed.

"How?" Arcee asked.

Jack grinned and slowly got off the berth, testing his leg on the ground. Satisfied that it wasn't hurt anymore, he ripped the cast off.

"Accelerated healing factor," Jack explained. "Took a moment for it to kick in, but my injuries are healing fast."

June raised an eyebrow at him. "Another benefit of being Kryptonian?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess, though I know the worse or more complex an injury is, the longer it'll take to heal. Like if I lost a limb, you could reattach it, but it wouldn't grow back."

"How do you know this?" Arcee asked.

"I did some reading on the ship," Jack explained.

"I'm just glad you're okay Jack," June said.

"As am I," Optimus said.

Jack nodded his thanks to the Prime before speaking again. "Now, can I talk to Arcee in private?"

June and Optimus nodded and exited the med bay, leaving the Cybertronian and Kryptonian alone in the room.

The two stood in awkward silence for several seconds, neither one speaking. Jack broke the silence. "Arcee, I…"

Arcee shook her helm, interrupting the teen. "No, Jack, I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It was immature and rude. I just wanted to know why, why you lied to me," she said.

Jack sighed. "At first Arcee, it was because I was terrified of you and the Bots. I was afraid that if you and the others knew what I could do, you would try and capture me because of the potential threat I posed. Later, I guess I was just afraid you'd be mad with me. Guess I should have just told you, right?" he said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Arcee nodded. "But, I think we can put it behind us for now. Come on, the others will want to see if my _partner_ is okay."

Jack smiled. "So, I'm your junior partner again?" he joked.

Arcee smiled. "I think it's high time you earned a promotion Kryptonian," she replied.

"Y-you're serious?" he asked in shock.

Arcee just smiled and gestured for the boy to follow her into the lobby. All the Bots and humans were assembled in the main lobby, talking animatedly about Jack's rapid recovery. June and Optimus had quickly fabricated a story, claiming that Jack's injuries had been less severe than thought initially, and the boy was fine.

"Hey Jack, you're okay!" Raf explained happily.

"Yeah turns out I'm tougher than I thought," Jack said with a smile. The other Bots crowded the boy asking what happened in the Shadow Zone and how he'd survived. Jack fabricated a story of how they continuously ran from the zombie, and used the disembodied arm of Starscream to slow him down, and how that simply made it worse.

When his explanation was done, the Bots dispersed to go do their own thing. Miko and Jack watched TV, Raf and Bee raced RC cars, and Bulkhead and Arcee watched with Jack and Miko. Ratchet was working at his terminal busily, while Optimus and June watched the whole scene unfold. For them, it was a scene they hoped would never end.

Suddenly though, the lights in the base began to flicker. "Blackout?" Jack asked.

"Scraplets?" Bulkhead asked worriedly.

Ratchet shook his head. "No, some sort of weird electromagnetic disturbance, though I can't pinpoint-" the lights died before he could finish, the TV and work terminal being the only thing to illuminate the area.

The picture on the TV began to flicker and fell to static while emitting a high pitched squeal. Everyone covered their ears as it echoed through base for several seconds before stopping.

"Ratchet, what is happening?" Optimus asked.

"I don't know," Ratchet said. "Something is interfering with the television's signal, though it doesn't seem to be affecting my terminal." As if on cue, his own terminal fell into static as well.

Jack looked at the screens wondering what was happening, when four words appeared on screen.

**YOU ARE NOT ALONE…**

**A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNN. So yeah, Zod's here. This was both a fun and painful chapter to write, but I'm glad I got it out. Though I may rewrite some segments later. Next chapter is Zod's appearance, as well as his epic speech. I won't say much else since I don't want to spoil too much. A warning though, my updates may start to become less frequent. I am spending several days with my grandmother, and after that I am having an old friend over who I haven't seen in person in years. So they'll be coming less often for a while. Anyway, review with critique and PM me for plot based questions or ideas. Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Zod

_Autobot HQ…_

**YOU ARE NOT ALONE.**

These four words repeated themselves on the television screen and Ratchet's terminal. A hatched together voice, sounding like a speech program, said the words aloud over and over. The humans, Bots, and Kryptonian stared at the screens, curious about who they were from and why.

"Ratchet, is there any way to know where this transmission is coming from?" Optimus asked.

The medic shook his helm. "Negative Optimus; I've lost all control with the terminal. Wherever this transmission is coming from, it's overriding my control."

Miko pulled out her phone. "Uh, dude, it's not just the big stuff either," she said worriedly. She held out her phone for all to see. The same four words were on her cell phone screen as well.

Jack and June checked their phones to see the same words as well.

"Whatever or whoever is doing this," Ratchet said, "they must have hacked into multiple satellites to have such a wide coverage."

"Do you think this is worldwide?" Raf asked.

Before Ratchet could answer, the words disappeared from the screen and the voice stopped. The static of the screen began to change its shape, reforming into a large skull shaped face with a long tube connected to the mouth. At least, that's what it looked like as the face was composed of constantly shifting static.

The figure spoke with a cold sophisticated accent, the accent of a mad man or a genius. "People of Earth, my name is General Zod. I come from the planet Krypton, a world far from yours. We have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you," the supposed general paused for a moment before continuing.

"The message we bring is one of great urgency. For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. For reasons unknown, he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. He will look like you, act like you, but he is not one of you." Another pause.

"To those of you who may know his current location…The fate of your planet is in your hands. Comply with our request, and we shall reward you in kind," the room was deathly quiet.

The general's face adjusted itself, seeming to stare directly at Jack. "To Kal-EL, I say this: Surrender within 24 hours or watch this world suffer the consequences." His speech finished, the face disappeared from the screen. Slowly, the lights flickered back on, and the television and terminal returned to their earlier tasks from before. Miko shut off the TV.

Everyone who knew his secret tried to refrain from staring at Jack. Jack himself felt like he was going to faint. How could this General Zod have found him, let alone survived? He should have died on Krypton with the rest of them, but if he and his soldiers were alive… did that mean there were others alive as well?

The terminal started beeping, and Agent Fowler's face appeared on-screen. "Prime!" he yelled in his usual greeting.

The Prime approached the terminal. "I'm assuming you got that little message from the alien general?" Fowler asked.

"Indeed we have Agent Fowler," Prime answered.

"Then you can probably guess how the higher-ups are reacting. They're in a panic and are demanding you find and capture this Kal-El," Fowler explained.

Bulkhead snorted. "What kinda name is that anyway?"

Jack turned to him. "This coming from the guy named after a wall." Bulkhead just huffed indignantly at the boy's valid point.

"I'm afraid that we cannot comply with that order Agent Fowler. This issue is one in which we are less than skilled at. If this Kryptonian has truly lived among the populace of Earth for some time, then it is safe to assume he resembles a human," Optimus said, quickly glancing in Jack's direction.

Fowler groaned. "Fine, I'll let the boys at the pentagon know, but if you see anything contact us, got it?"

"Of course Agent Fowler," Optimus said and the connection ended.

"Optimus are we really not going to search for this guy? I mean the whole Earth is at risk. Plus how do we even know this Zod can be trusted?" Bulkhead said, Bumblebee beeping in agreement.

"Though your concern is admirable Bulkhead, I am confident that this Kal-El will do what he believes is right," Optimus said. Jack silently stood up and took the elevator up, avoiding everyone's notice. Except one.

"I do not trust this Zod either, any being who would threaten a plant to search for one person is not worth trusting," Optimus explained.

_The Nemesis…_

Megatron scowled as the terminals along the bridge returned to normal. "Soundwave, tell me you were able to track the transmission to it source," Megatron said.

The silent Con nodded before displaying the coordinates. Megatron examined them before speaking. "Excellent, plot a course to this location. Once we are in range, I want you to hail them. I have a few choice words for this 'General' Zod," he said sarcastically.

The Con nodded before inputting the coordinates. Whilst this was going on, Starscream, Knockou,t and Airachnid, who had reluctantly rejoined the cons after the battle for the polarity gauntlet, were talking about the recent transmission.

"Do you think this Zod fellow could be looking for a certain human ally of the Autobots?" Knockout asked nervously.

"If they are searching for Jack and are the same race..." Airachnid started.

"Then Megatron could be flying us to our doom!" Starscream exclaimed.

"Should we warn him of the possible dangers?" Knockout asked.

"It would be in the best interest of the Decepticons if someone were to talk to him." Airachnid said, turning to Starscream.

"Yes, someone he would trust, someone who has displayed great tact and strategic planning," Knockout said, also turning to Starscream.

Starscream raised a brow. "Why are you all looking at…" The gears clicked. "Oh no, I am not going to tell Megatron about the dangers of confronting these Kryptonians!" he squealed.

"But you are his second in command," Knockout said.

"And we are just humble servants to the Decepticon cause," Airachnid said seductively. "It would take someone of great importance to convince him to change his plans," she said.

Starscream puffed his chest out at the praise, "Well, I am his second in command and personally scrapped Cliffjumper. I suppose I would be the best to talk to our master" he said.

His ego having been properly stroked, Starscream entered the bridge and approached the massive steel form of Megatron "Uh...Master?"

"What is it Starscream?!" he snarled.

The second-in-command gulped. "Uh...well...you see-"

"SPIT IT OUT YOU DISGUSTING SYCOPHANT!" he roared at him in anger. Megatron was not one to enjoy Starscream's presence.

"It's just that...this Kal-El that the general was talking about-" Starscream said nervously

"What about him?!" he demanded.

"Knockout, Soundwave, Airachnid, and myself may know who he is!" he said bracing for a hit that never came.

Megatron froze for only a moment. "Go on..."

Starscream described the events of how the four had fought and been defeated by Jack.

Megatron let out a roaring laugh. "You mean to say that this Kal-El is one of the Autobots' allies, and has bested all of you at some point or another?!"

"Well..." Starscream said sheepishly. "In our defense, he was a lot tougher than he looked."

"Obviously..." Megatron said.

"So, what shall we do?" Starscream asked.

Megatron ponders for a moment. "Perhaps it is time we sent a message of our own," he said.

Megatron turned his attention to the screen and saw the ship these Kryptonians used. To say it was large was an understatement. It was over a third longer than the Nemesis, its end shrinking to four sharp points. There was a large sphere at one end, and four massive leg-like structures spreading out and meeting at the opposite end.

Clutched between the legs was another large structure that bore a striking resemblance to the ship itself though it was a third its size. Both were made of bronze colored metal, and the plating seemed to smooth together equally, lines crisscrossing were they would meet. Large thrusters could be seen on the legs, keeping the ship in orbit, though Megatron wondered how it navigated space with no large engines of its own.

The screen suddenly pinged, and the image of Zod, his face obscured by the skull like mask appeared. "Who and what are you?" he asked calmly.

"I am Lord Megatron, leader of the Decepticons and future ruler of this world you are threatening," he proclaimed proudly.

Zod cocked his head slightly to the right. "You say that as if it should mean something 'Lord' Megatron."

The warlord narrowed his optics. "I am ordering you to cease your threats to this planet at once. It is my world, and any threats made toward it not from me shall not be tolerated."

"Perhaps I should come to your ship then, Megatron, and better discuss these issues in person," Zod said.

Megatron smirked. "Ah yes, face to face. An excellent proposal. I will meet you on the flight deck of the ship where we shall 'negotiate'," he said.

Zod nodded and the screen went black. "Come Starscream," Megatron ordered his SIC. "It is time I made an example of this Zod and his troops."

_The Nemesis Flight Deck…_

Megatron stood on the flight deck with a small detachment of Vehicons and Starscream by his side. His SIC was tapping his talons together nervously, terrified of what these adult Kryptonians could do.

"Master, I must insist that we simply leave the Kryptonians to their manhunt for their lost citizen. It would be unwise to get involved in such a matter," he pleaded with his lord.

Megatron growled. "Do not lecture me Starscream! I am not as easily intimidated by these organics as you, and I intend to show them that none may threaten my world," he stated boldly. Starscream simply cowered and nodded, unable to speak further.

Megatron, turning forward again, clasped his servos behind his back. A gunship larger than a Vehicon flyer came down to the flight deck in front of the assembled group of cons and slowly turned around. The gunship came to a halt roughly four feet off the ground, hovering in place.

The back began to peel apart and separate; the pieces moved and reassembled themselves into a floating set of stairs. Three figures emerged and walked down the steps. The first stood roughly 6'4" and was covered head to toe in dark grey armor with a long cape billowing behind him, and he carried himself with the practiced ease of a soldier.

The second was a female about 6 feet tall, also wearing similar armor and carrying herself the same way as the first. Her form was much slimmer than that of the first, though she still seemed capable and deadly despite this.

The last was a massive brute easily standing over 8 feet tall; his shoulders were broad and muscular, twice the size of the man and woman in front of him. He carried himself more like an animal, clearly lacking in intelligence from his slightly hunched over pace.

The three figures approached Megatron and stopped a good twenty feet away. The leader took a step forward before speaking; his voice amplified by a speaker. "You are Megatron," he stated flatly, looking over the Lord of the Decepticons. "From your voice, I expected something…More."

Megatron scowled. "Impudent organic, I am the leader of the Decepticons, champion of the pits of Kaon!"

"A gladiator turned revolutionary," Zod said bored. "It is clearly obvious from what I have heard that you are clearly a warmonger who simply likes to kill and destroy."

"And what makes you think you are any different from me? You have threatened my world in search of a single person," Megatron growled.

"Every action I take, no matter how cruel or vicious, is for the good of my people," Zod explained. "Kal-El may hold the key to saving my people, and I'll be damned before some machine tries to stop me," he sneered.

"Tries! I do not try. I do, and you will not leave this ship alive. Decepticons, kill them!" Megatron roared and the Vehicons armed their blasters.

Zod turned to the woman. "Faora, deal with them please," he said calmly.

She nodded and shot forward, seeming to disappear as she almost blinked between each Vehicon, ripping them apart with her bare hands. She ripped out the lasts one's spark and leapt over Megatron and Starscream, landing with her legs splayed out.

"I tried to warn you Master," Starscream began, "these Krypt-"

"ENOUGH!" he roared. "I shall deal with you myself!"

His sword deployed, and he brought it down on the woman. She caught it in both her hands; then, in one fluid movement, snapped the blade in two. As Megatron stumbled back in shock, Faora jumped at him and stabbed the other half of the sword in his shoulder armor. Megatron grunted in pain as energon seeped from the wound.

He glared at the women and shot out a fist, launching her across the deck. She flexed and twisted in the air, landing on her feet and screeching back several feet before stopping. She charged Megatron again, and the two exchanged blows. While Faora was faster and stronger, Megatron had millennia of experience in fighting stronger and faster foes.

Megatron held his own against the woman, who used his own body to leap and weave across him; denting and scratching him with punches and kicks. Megatron let out a roar and brought his fist down on top of Faora. Clang! It appeared his fist had crushed the women. Before he could claim victory though, Megatron's fist slowly began to lift back up.

The Con put all of his now weakened strength into crushing her, but Faora broke free. Grabbing the warlord's arm, she quickly twisted it to the right, causing a loud crunching sound. Megatron let out a howl of pain as his elbow joint shattered. He fell to his knee, his right arm dangling from a few cables.

Faora turned to Starscream. "No no! I think you made your point!" he squealed as he stepped back, tripping over a dead Vehicon and falling on his aft.

Faora scoffed. "Coward," she muttered and walked back to Zod.

Zod walked to Megatron and grabbed the side of his helmet bringing the warlord to eye level "Listen now and listen well Megatron, when I have captured Kal-El, this world will be mine. I will use it to create a new Krypton, a better Krypton, and if you interfere, you and your army shall be destroyed."

Not waiting for a response from the warlord, Zod pulled a fist back and delivered a haymaker to the warlord's faceplate. There was a loud boom as he flew back crashing into Starscream, knocking his SIC unconscious.

Megatron struggled to his feet, and Zod approached him. "Now you see that you are outmatched, Megatron. Stay out of my way, and you will live," he stated.

The warlord glared at the general weakly. Zod turned around on his heel, and he and his soldiers entered the gunship. With a loud boom it took off, returning to their ship.

_Autobot HQ..._

Jack stood on top of the mesa, lost deep in thought over what had just occurred. The threat and demand from Zod had been completely unexpected. Hell, the appearance of another Kryptonian had been a shock. Jack had to wonder why they were looking for him. Maybe his father was wrong and Krypton had survived. If that was the case, had Zod been sent to return him home? Jack shook his head. If Zod was here to take him home, he wouldn't hold a gun to the Earth's head.

Jack heard the familiar sound of footsteps and turned to see Arcee. "Hey," he said casually.

"Hey," she replied.

"So, we're still partners right? You're not going to turn on me and send me to this Zod person, are you?" he joked.

Arcee smiled. "That depends. Are you going to lie to me again?"

Jack's face suddenly took a somber tone. "Arcee, I'm sorry for lying to you. I know I already apologized, but it needed to be said again."

"It's fine Jack," she said, "but I never did give you a chance to tell me why you lied to us."

Jack looked down for a moment. "My father," he muttered.

Arcee raised a brow. "Come again?" she asked.

"I lied to you because of my human father. My dad believed that the world wasn't ready to know about what I was or could do. He died because he was..." Jack's voice faltered.

"Jack, if it's too painful to talk about..." Arcee said.

Jack shook his head. "No Arcee, I need to tell someone about this; I need to tell you about it."

"Then continue," she said softly.

Jack nodded. "Two years ago..."

_Jasper Nevada, two years ago..._

"Dad, I just want to help people!" Jack yelled at his father.

"Oh, so getting a career in medicine or engineering isn't helping?" his dad responded stubbornly.

"You know what I meant," Jack said, crossing his arms.

Robert Darby squinted through the window as the rain relentlessly pounded on it. It had been like this for the past week, even though they lived in Nevada, and there seemed to be no end.

"Look Jack, I was an engineer, my father was an engineer, and his father was an engineer. It's practically a family tradition," Robert said.

"Your families," Jack corrected. "Not mine," he said bitterly.

He snorted. "I don't even know why I'm arguing with you. You're not my father, just some guy who found me in the desert."

"Jack!" June scolded from the back seat.

"No June, he's right. We're not his parents," Robert said, "but you know what? We've raised you the best we could, through all the hurtles."

Robert sighed. "Maybe our best just isn't good enough anymore."

A sad look crossed Jacks face. "Dad, I-" he was cut off as a massive shudder hit the car.

Their car and the cars behind them stopped as a massive amount of water surged onto the road. "What's happening?" June asked.

"Flash flood, we need to get to high ground!" Robert said and opened his door. Water poured into the car as the three opened there doors, June and Robert's swinging open due to the current. Jack pushed his against the current with ease and jumped out. The water was waist high and rising fast. Looking through the pouring rain, Jack spotted a large hill in the distance that all the people on the road were swarming to.

"Over there!" he pointed, and the three quickly ran through the rising tide up the hill. Several other families had taken refuge there as well, waiting out the storm.

A woman struggled up the hill crying. "My daughter's trapped, please someone help!" she pleaded.

Jack moved to help her, but his dad placed his hand in front of him. Jack looked up at him, and he shook his head. Jack reluctantly nodded and stepped back. Robert moved back into the water, the tide rising even higher.

The woman's car had a large piece debris lodged against the door and was tipped slightly on its side. Water was pouring through the cracks, and the screams of a small girl could be heard.

"Hold on!" Robert yelled. He grabbed hold of the debris and shoved it aside for a brief moment. Before the current could push it back on him, he jammed the door open. Water began to pour in more rapidly, but the door held.

Robert climbed inside and grabbed the girl, grunting as he did. As he began to crawl back out though, the door slammed shut on his ankle with a thud. Robert let out a scream as the door broke it.

The pain was excruciating, and Robert felt his strength start to leave him. He looked at the small girl in his arms and the worried look on her face. She was so young, had so much to live for...

Robert steeled himself and felt new energy flow into him. Whatever happened, he would not let this girl die. He reached across the car and began pulling on the car handle. It took him a moment to realize it was locked, but once he unlocked it, he slammed on the door, and it flung open. He pushed the girl out, and she fell out into the water that came to her chest.

Robert looked back at his own foot trapped in the door, the water pushing on it. With the last of his strength he used his other leg and kicked the door with a loud thump, and it moved just enough for his leg to get free of the door. He crawled out of the car and shakily stood, favoring his right leg.

Jack looked in horror at his dad. It was obvious he couldn't make it to the higher ground, and to make matters worse, a large wave was rolling towards him.

Jack started towards him, ready to assist, when his father raised a hand at him. Jack looked at his father in confusion and then sadness when he realized what he was ordering.

June looked between the two, and tears rolled down her face as the realization hit. She started to rush forward to try and help her husband, but Jack held her back, trying to hide his own tears.

The large wave rolled over Robert. In an instant, Robert Darby, friend, father, and mentor was gone.

"Dad, I'm sorry!"

_Autobot Base, present time..._

Arcee looked down at her partner, a sad look on her faceplate. The absolute pain Jack must have felt from losing his father like that. It was no wonder he was reluctant to tell anyone about how his father died. He believed it was his own fault.

"That's why I didn't tell you or the others," Jack explained. "Because my dad died convinced the world wasn't ready to know about who I was or what I could do. So I try to honor that sacrifice every day."

"Jack, I didn't know," Arcee said sadly.

Jack smiled up at her. "You couldn't have known. I never told you."

"Still, I should have thought more about why you lied to me. If I had, I wouldn't have gotten so angry at you," she said guiltily.

Jack shook his head. "It's in the past Arcee. Now, we have a new problem to deal with."

Arcee's faceplate hardened. "Zod."

Jack nodded and sat on the ground. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. Arcee, should I turn myself in to him?" he asked.

Arcee looked at him. "What do your instincts tell you?" she asked.

"That Zod can't be trusted," he answered confidently. He tilted his head down. "I'm not sure if humanity can be trusted either though," he said.

Arcee looked over her partner in understanding. Every day Jack was forced to endure the worst that humanity had to offer at his job and school, people who cared nothing for him or his problems and made his life miserable for their own amusement. Arcee understood why Jack didn't trust them, but he couldn't let Earth die either.

Arcee sat down next to him and rested a servo on his back. Jack looked up at her. "Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith. The trusting part comes later," she said.

Jack smiled slightly. "Thanks Arcee. I think I'll talk with Mom about this when we get home too," he said.

"Let's hope she understands why," Arcee joked.

Jack shivered. "That is not going to be a fun conversation," he said. The two laughed and assumed relaxed positions, watching the sun set.

"Arcee?" Jack asked.

"Hm?" was her reply as she watched the sunset silently.

"When you said to take a leap of faith before trusting… Is that what you did when you asked me to stay at base?" he asked nervously.

Arcee smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she said coyly.

Jack arched an eyebrow at her but said nothing, watching the various colors spill across the sky. The two sat in their comfortable silence as the sun set, and, slowly, their hands inched towards each other. As the sun fell behind the horizon two hands, one flesh, one metal, intertwined together. Neither one cared.

_Darby Residence, later that night…_

"Absolutely not!" June yelled at her son when he finished explaining what he planned to do.

"But Mom, the entire planet's at risk!" Jack responded.

"I don't care. No son of mine is turning himself into a military dictator threatening Earth," she stated, arms crossed.

"I understand," he sighed, slumping his shoulders.

June smiled sadly. "I know you're worried Jack, but it will be fine. If you stay hidden, Zod will leave. I'm sure of it."

Jack just nodded and trudged into his room, closing the door silently behind him. He sat on the bed with his head in his hands as his thoughts raced. He had to turn himself in; there was just no other option. Despite his Mom's confidence that the situation would resolve itself, Jack knew that it wouldn't.

A sudden idea hit Jack's mind. He couldn't turn himself in to Zod without disobeying his mother. She never said anything about turning himself in to the government. Jack knew they were looking frantically for him to give him to Zod.

Jack stood up quietly and looked outside. He couldn't leave the house through the front door; his mom would catch him, but it was night outside, and Jack could fly now…

Jack turned to his closet and opened it up, searching for the case in the mess of clothes and other items. He found what he was looking for, a brown suitcase with two latches on the front. He unlatched both with a silent click and opened it to reveal the suit his father had given him. Jack was reluctant to wear the thing in public, but, he had a feeling he'd need it soon.

He quickly slipped into the suit, hiding his clothes in the utility belt's subspace compartments. He grabbed some paper from his desk and wrote out a quick note, placing it on his bed for his mom to find. That done, the young Kryptonian opened his window and looked back into his room with a sad look. He had a feeling he wouldn't see his room for a long time.

"I'm sorry Mom, but I have to do this," he whispered. With that, he flew out of the room, causing only a slight stir.

_US Military Base, Nevada…_

General Bryce sighed in irritation as he filled out more military reports. Ever since this Zod fellow had shown up, the civilians and politicians were in a panic, demanding the military do something about it. The pentagon had responded by searching high and low for this Kal-El. Bryce knew, though, that if he'd been hidden on Earth for several years already, that he wasn't going to be easy to find.

This made his job more difficult as his higher ups were growing more and more impatient the longer it took for them to find the alien. The Autobots' refusal to help only worsened the situation. Bryce sighed again. Those robots were starting to become more trouble than they were worth.

A knock on his office door interrupted his loathing. "Come in," he said, irritated as a soldier entered.

"General Bryce sir, we found him," the soldier said.

General Bryce quickly stood up out of his chair. "Found him? Where? Is he in custody?" the general asked hurriedly.

"He's at the front of the base sir, demanding to speak with the higher ups," the soldier explained.

"Why hasn't he been arrested yet?" the general asked as the two walked out the building.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you sir," the soldier answered.

Bryce raised an eyebrow at the soldier, but didn't push the issue. Instead he followed him to a large group of armed personal at the northern entrance of the base. Bryce had to do a double take when he came to the front of the group.

Floating a good thirty feet in front of the soldiers was what looked like a human teen, except human teens didn't float 30 feet off the ground. Or wear spandex in public.

"I take it you're the alien we've been looking for?" General Bryce asked.

The teen nodded. "I am."

"You're here to turn yourself in?" the general asked.

"On two conditions," the teen replied.

Bryce raised a brow. "And those conditions are?"

"One, my identity is kept a secret from the public. I know someone took a photo of me, and you are likely cross referencing it as we speak to find out my name. Two, I want your word that all those associated with me won't be harmed for having connections to me," his list finished Jack continued floating above the soldiers, arms crossed.

His cape was fluttering gently in the breeze and he felt very self-conscious right now. The general was talking to someone over a communicator before looking up at the boy.

"Alright, you have a deal," Bryce said.

Nodding, Jack floated to the ground and approached the blockade. He stopped a few feet away, and held up his arms. Two soldiers approached him, and one of them cuffed his hands with a small click. Jack smirked inwardly; those cuffs wouldn't hold him for a second if he didn't want them to.

The soldiers led him into the base, one on either side of him and two behind him. They walked through an endless hall of clean tiled halls, his boots echoing on the flooring. The echoing itself was irritating, but what was worse was the small mutterings he could hear from the soldiers who thought he couldn't hear him.

_That's the alien?_

_He's just a boy._

_He looks way too human._

_What's with the spandex?_

Jack turned his head back as he walked. "I can hear you, you know," he said, and the soldiers stopped.

"Also the suit is a gift from my dead father, so please don't mock it," he said before turning his head forward again. Eventually, he was led into a small, dimly lit room with a single table and two chairs in it. Three of the walls were bare, but the fourth had large, one way mirror that occupied most of it.

Jack sighed; it was the standard interrogation room. He would have been intimidated if the precautions the military had taken weren't so laughable. He could see through the mirror with ease and, in a pinch, could leave anytime he wanted.

Jack sat in the chair on one side of the table, and the soldiers left. Jack sat there silently for several minutes, when the sound of the door opening and closing caught his attention. Instead of turning around to face whoever had entered, Jack sat silently facing forward with his cuffed hands on the table.

A woman in her late twenties or early thirties came into his view. She had pale smooth skin, reddish brown hair, and wore a standard business suit. She had a no nonsense attitude about her, and Jack had a feeling she could be a scary women. In other words, she looked every bit the part of a reporter or government agent.

The woman extended a hand out to him and smiled. "Lois Lane, I'm with the US department of defense," she said cheerily. Jack eyed her hand before motioning to the cuffs he wore.

"Right, the cuffs," she said her cheery attitude dropping slightly and sat in the chair across from him. "I assume you know why I'm here?" she asked.

"You're going to ask why Zod is after me, if I know anything about him, what his capabilities are, and if he will keep his word," Jack answered calmly.

"That's a few, yes," she said.

Jack sighed. "In answer to the first two, I have no idea. I don't know why Zod is after me, and I never met the guy before today. As for his capabilities, let me put it like this." Jack leaned forward slightly. "If he wanted, he could tear the military apart with a single man and not break a sweat."

The woman raised a brow about to ask a question, when a voice asked over a microphone. "And how do you know this?" It was the voice of General Bryce.

Jack let out a sigh. "Let's put our cards on the table General," he said, standing and breaking the cuffs casually. "I can see several armed men behind you, all armed with tranquilizer rounds in case I try anything. I can tell you right now, that's not necessary and pointless."

"Because you are immune to tranquilizers?" he asked.

Jack shook his head. "On earth, my skin is strong enough to survive bullets and energy blasts. I can fly faster than any craft built by human hands and lift entire buildings out of the ground. I'm only sixteen, and I grew up on Earth my whole life. I'm not the threat you need to fear," he said calmly.

"But you believe Zod is?" Bryce asked.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but I know he can't be trusted."

"My superiors believe turning you in to Zod will save lives," Bryce said "What do you think?"

"I think their logic makes sense," Jack stated plainly, "but before you send me to the Zod, ask your superiors this. What happens if you send me to him…And they're wrong?"

_In front of the military mase…_

Jack stood in front of the base, cape fluttering in the breeze. The military forces stood several dozen yards behind him, weapons armed and ready in case he or the other Kryptonians made a move. As if it would make a difference.

The sound of a loud booming noise caught their attention, and Jack looked towards the sound. A large black alien gunship zoomed over head. It flew in front of Jack some distance away and turned around, its rear facing them.

The metal plating on the back moved and shifted, almost like a Transformer. The back plates peeled back, revealing an entrance, and several steps floated down, creating a set of stairs of some sort.

A single figure emerged from the back of the craft and walked slowly to Jack. The figure was a female, dressed in all grey armor and wearing the skull faced mask that Zod had worn in his transmission. A black cape whipped behind her as she walked, and she stood taller than Jack by an inch or two.

The women stopped two feet from Jack, and the color of the mask faded, revealing her face. She had short black hair that was plastered to her head and pale white skin that contrasted it. She had green eyes and a small amount of what looked like eyeliner, but Jack couldn't tell. Her mouth was obscured by a breathing apparatus of sorts. Jack remembered how his father said the atmosphere on Earth was different from the one on Krypton and was probably painful for them to breathe in initially. Her face in general had an air of both superiority and… instability to it.

"You are Kal-El?" she asked in a strangely Russian like accent.

"I am," he said for the second time that day.

"Come with me then, child. General Zod wishes to speak with you," the woman said and turned on her heel, walking away. As she walked, her mask darkened and Jack followed her into the ship.

She pointed to a standing area with a harness swung upwards, and Jack nodded in understanding. He walked to the area, and the harness swung over him, snapping into place. The women turned forward and walked into the cockpit; the door sealed behind her with a hiss. Jack rested his head against the wall and waited. In a matter of minutes, he would meet his people; something told him it wouldn't be a happy reunion.

_Darby residence…_

Arcee sat in the garage in robot mode, thinking of what had happened last night. To say June hadn't taken Jack's plan well was an understatement. Truthfully though, Arcee was glad that June had been so forceful in her punishment. The femme had been just as worried about what this Zod had planned and didn't want her partner getting hurt by him.

Over the past months, Arcee had grown to care for the boy. He'd gone from a nuisance, to a job, to an acquaintance, to a partner, to a friend, and now, she wasn't sure what they were. She knew they were friends for sure, but after her confrontation Arcee had almost destroyed that friendship.

When she saw how bad Jack had been hurt, she realized there may have been more to their bond than just friendship, though she wasn't sure what it was. All she knew for sure was that the idea of losing Jack set her on edge, and she'd do whatever it took to keep him safe.

Arcee's trip into her feelings was interrupted by a scream of horror coming from the house. June flung the door open and stumbled in. "June are you alright? What happened?" Arcee asked, worried.

June looked up at the femme with tears. "J-jack, he…" instead of finishing, she held up a piece of paper for the Bot to read. Arcee's optics widened as she realized it was a note from Jack.

_Mom, I'm sorry but I have to do this. I can't let people suffer for my sake and have decided to turn myself in to government. Don't tell the others who don't know. Tell Arcee I'll miss our rides._

_Jack_

Arcee looked up from the letter. Her spark swelled with pride and fear. Pride that Jack had gone to turn himself in for the greater good, and fear of what would happen to him now.

She looked to June. "I'm going to base to tell Optimus, June," the woman just stood there sadly.

"Hey," Arcee said as she lifted Junes head with a servo. "Jack's a tough kid. He'll be fine."

_"I hope," _Arcee thought.

_Zod's ship…_

Jack tried not to look in awe as he walked behind the women through the ship. Once they'd entered, the woman and her pilot's helmets had retracted and they'd lead him out of the ship. Jack almost immediately noticed the air that Kryptonians breathed was thicker and more…polluted than the air of Earth. So far though, he hadn't had too much difficulty adjusting.

The woman walked through a pair of sliding doors, and Jack followed. The area she led him into was huge, massive, large enough for Megatron to stand at full height comfortably. There was a massive glass window before him, and the Earth in all its majesty floated into view. Jack also noted several Kryptonian male and females working at various stages. They all wore armor similar to this woman, though some wore suits similar to his own, except completely black and sporting different emblems.

The woman stopped before a man dressed in thicker, more elaborate armor and bowed before stepping to the side, glaring at Jack. The man had very short black hair with small bits of white flecking it. He had tanned skin and a black goatee with full streaks of white in it. There was a long scar on the left side of his face.

The man looked at Jack "Ah, you must be Kal-El," he said.

"I take it your Zod?" Jack asked.

"That's General Zod!" the woman yelled at him.

Zod gestured for her to calm. "Calm yourself Faora. Kal has not been exposed to our customs. We can forgive a temporary mistake in address."

Jack suddenly felt a wave of weakness roll over him as Zod continued to speak. He was clearly saying something important, but Jack couldn't hear him. Spots flickered across his vision, and his eyes began to flutter. "I-I don't… I don't feel good," he said weakly as he fell to a knee.

"You've spent a life time adjusting to Earth's atmosphere. You have no experience in a Kryptonian atmosphere," Zod said as he circled the teen.

Jack started hacking and blood spilled from his mouth. _'Not again,'_ he thought. He fell on his face, struggling for breathe as Zod stood over him

"Whatever is happening to you, we cannot ease. Your body must adapt on its own," he said, though his voice sounded far away.

Jack continued to cough blood until, finally, he succumbed to unconsciousness.

**A/N: Yeah, it's here! I have good news folks, I will be updating tomorrow, as I got home early and will be able to start on chapter thirteen. I hope you guys liked this chapter, and props to my fight editor Ardanna Keeper for the excellent fight between the Cons and Faora. Thank you! Anyway, please review with critique and PM me with plot ideas or questions. Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Brawl in Jasper

_Somewhere…_

Jack took in a sudden intake of breath as he regained consciousness. He looked at the ground and was surprised to see grass underneath him. He slowly stood to his feet and saw he was dressed in his civilian clothes. He looked to his left and saw the shack his ship was hidden in as well.

Now, Jack was confused; wasn't he just aboard an alien ship? Or was it all just a weird dream he'd had?

"No Kal-El, what happened was not a dream," a voice said from his right.

Jack started, turning to the voice to see Zod standing before him. He was dressed in black Kryptonian under armor and a black cape. The armor exposed his heavily muscled frame and almost dwarfed Silas.

"Where are we?" Jack asked.

"We are in your mind. I am using a device to communicate with you while your body adjusts to our ship's atmosphere," Zod explained.

"Okay," Jack said before he asked his next question. "Why are you here?"

"I assume you know of what happened to me and my crew before the destruction of Krypton?" Zod asked.

"You tried to overthrow the council. That's all I know though," Jack admitted.

"After the council arrested us," Zod said, "we were sent to the phantom zone where we were to rot for 300 cycles. The destruction of our home world freed us from this prison, and we were left adrift amongst the rubble, doomed to starve in our home's ashes."

Jack shivered slightly at the idea of dying in space. "But," Zod continued, "instead of resigning ourselves to our fate, we innovated and used the remains of the instrument our imprisonment as the means to our salvation. We created our own phantom drive, similar to the one on your own craft," Zod explained.

"From there we wondered amongst the old Kryptonian colonies, searching for any sign of life or civilization. All we found was death. Cut off from Krypton, the colonies had withered and died. This cycle repeated endlessly for 16 years, traveling from planet to planet, salvaging what we could, even repairing a world engine."

Zod looked at Jack. "We'd nearly lost hope that we'd ever find what we were looking for. Until days ago, when we received an ancient Kryptonian distress signal from this small, blue planet."

Jacks eyes widened in shock. The reason Zod and his men were here was because of Jack. If he'd never activated that ship, they never would have found him or Earth.

"Now that you're here and have me, what do you plan to do?" Jack asked nervously.

"We will find the codex, and we will rebuild Krypton here on Earth," Zod said.

A loud booming sound caught Jack's attention, and he whirled to face it. A massive ship, towering over 20 stories high was coming in for a landing. Its four legs spread out and one of them smashed a familiar mesa to pieces as it landed. The large ship seemed to raise itself up for a brief second. Then it slammed back down and a white blue beam shot out. A massive shockwave swept across the land, kicking up dirt and debris.

Jack clenched his eyes as the wave passed over him and Zod. When he opened them, he was surprised to see he was in his suit, not his civilian clothing, but it was different now, made of some sort of black material like Zods.

Jack looked at Zod. "And what will happen to the humans? The Autobots?" he asked.

"Every civilization needs a strong foundation," Zod answered calmly.

Jack looked at his feet and gagged in horror. The ground was coated in human skulls everywhere. Jack looked around and saw his home, Jasper, all of it was barren ruin covered in the charred bodies of the people who once lived here. He continued looking and saw something more horrifying.

He saw the bodies of the Autobots, their once vibrantly colored bodies grey and dead. Some had been reduced to barely recognizable metal lumps. But two stood out. One was Optimus, his form intact but grayed, his optics burned out. He'd died using his body to protect a human family.

The other… was Arcee. She was lying on the floor, her arm outstretched in Jack's direction, her faceplate twisted in agony. Her colors were faded and her optics ripped out. Dents, scratches, and tears riddled her body, and he could make out the faint outline of tear stains on her face.

Jack turned back to Zod in disgust. "If you think I would let you get away with this…" Jack started.

Zod let out a hoarse laugh. "What makes you think you could stop us, child?" His face became more serious. "I am willing to offer you a choice Kal-El, as you are young and could have a great future ahead of you. Join us in creating a new and better Krypton." He paused.

"Or take the same route as your father and die for a hopeless dream," he said. When the words left his mouth, Jack began sinking into the skulls.

"No! Zod you don't have to do this, Earth can be shared!" Jack protested as he sank deeper and deeper.

"Shared with the primitives only so we can go through years of painful atmospheric adaptation? No this is for the best Kal-El," Zod said coldly.

Jack continued sinking slowly into the skulls begging Zod to reconsider his plans, to no avail. Slowly but surely, Jack's consciousness faded into black as he sank beneath the skulls.

_Aboard Zod's ship…_

Jack woke with a start to find that he was restrained on an operating table of some sorts. He'd been moved from the bridge into some sort of laboratory. There was a man working at a table who was clearly some sort of science officer.

He looked to his side to see Zod standing there. "Your father was a great man, and his death was an unfortunate loss Kal-El. Do not make his mistake; do not resist me."

Jack made the sudden connection. "You killed my father!" he exclaimed.

Zod nodded sadly. "And not a day goes by where I do not wish I could take it back, but I would do it a thousand times again, if it meant the salvation of my people." He turned and left the room, leaving Jack alone with the scientist

Jack immediately began struggling against the bonds, and the man laughed at him. "Do not bother child. The effects of the Earth's atmosphere and sun have been cancelled. You will not be able to break those bonds," he said in a German sounding accent. Jack had to wonder exactly how diverse Krypton was if they had such diversified accents?

The scientist pulled out a weird looking, hand held device with a long needle at the end. He swiftly plunged it into the crook of Jacks arm, and Jack let out a small gasp as the device easily entered his skin and began extracting his blood. When it was finished, the scientist pulled it out and injected it into some sort of machine before turning to Jack again.

"Now, let's see what you were keeping in that belt, hmm?" he said gesturing to the belt on the small tool tray next to him. Jack realized they must have taken it off when he was unconscious.

The man opened one of the compartments and pulled out the command key he'd used to activate the ship. The very same key that contained Jor-El's consciousness…

A small light went off in his head, and Jack immediately went into action. "Whatever you do," he warned, "don't put that into the ship; it could be devastating."

The scientist smirked. "Child, no mere command key could hope to crack the firewalls of this ship." Confident in his statement, he quickly inserted the key into a command port. He let out a scream as electricity arched from the port to the man, and he fell on his back, unconscious and occasionally twitching.

"Warned you," Jack said.

Light from the room began coalescing together and took on a simple, bipedal figure. Eventually, the figure took the form of Jor-El, head scientist of Krypton. Or at least, what was left of him.

"It would appear that Zod managed to escape the phantom zone," Jor-El said.

Jack just nodded. "Yeah, he did. Is there any way for you to get me out of these cuffs?" he asked.

"My access to the ship's security systems, for now, are limited," he explained, "but I have full access to atmospheric conditions."

As the words left Jor-El's mouth, Jack noticed the air changed. It was cleaner and easier to breathe than it had been before. New energy began flowing into Jack's limbs, and he ripped the restraints off himself with ease. Jack stood up and grabbed the belt from the tray and the command key from the port.

He turned to Jor-El. "Dad, Zod said he's going to terra form Earth, create a new Krypton. Is there a way to stop him?"

Jor-El nodded. "There is, but I will have to explain later. Zod has gone after your ship on Earth in search of the codex."

"But that means…" Jack said as it dawned on him.

"Your human mother is in danger, but you can save her Kal. You can save them all." Jor-El turned to the wall. "Strike that panel," he ordered.

Jack did as he was ordered, and the wall exploded out from his blow. Air poured out into space from the hole he'd made and Jack turned to his father. "Good luck Kal, I shall attempt to slow Zod as best I can from here. The rest is up to you."

Jack gulped slightly before he floated out of the ship over Earth. He didn't need to expand his senses to know where to go. Jack knew the location by heart.

_Darby residence…_

June let out a sad sigh as she carried the last of the groceries into the house. It had been announced a few hours earlier that the alien had turned himself in to authorities, who in turn turned him in to Zod. This meant there was a good chance June would never see her son again.

Arcee herself had left shortly after the announcements, leaving the women to wallow in her pain alone. Her son, her Jack, was gone, given to some military leader, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Her brooding was stopped by the loud sound of an alien engine. June walked back outside to see a large alien gunship landing in her front yard. People from the neighborhood walked out of their houses to marvel at the large ships as their backs unfolded allowing several armor clad soldiers to exit them.

A large, armored man followed by several armed soldiers approached her. His visor faded and he glared at June. "Where is the ship?" he demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered defiantly.

Zod grabbed her by her collar. "I am in no mood for games women, so I shall ask you once more. Where. Is. The ship!?" he snarled.

June glared at him. "Up yours!" she retorted. With a growl Zod threw her on the ground and turned to Faora.

"Check the backyard," he ordered.

Faora nodded and jumped over the house. There was the sound of a loud crash as she landed in the shed in the backyard. There was the sound of metal tearing, and she reappeared moments later with a thud.

"I found the ship," she reported, "but there was no sign of the codex."

Zod stood silently for a moment. Then in a moment of rage, let out an inhuman roar and flipped June's car through her house with a crash.

He turned to the woman, who had started scooting back nervousl,y "Now listen woman, where is the-" a blue blur slammed into Zod, and the leader disappeared.

Jack flew across the ground at a break neck speed, dragging Zod, his head leaving a deep furrow in the ground. Jack started lifting off the ground higher and higher.

He looked down at the general and began punching him repeatedly in the face. "YOU DO NOT THREATEN MY MOTHER!" he screamed at the man.

Jack and Zod collided through the cement factory, causing the upper section of the facility to collapse. Jack and Zod emerged from the factory still flying, and Jack dropped.

He fell from the sky and crashed through a gas station along the main street of Jasper. There was a loud explosion, and the two Kryptonians rolled out into the street. Jack struggled to his feet, his suit unharmed, while Zod stood to his full height. The general ripped off his now burning cape and began grasping at his helmet, which was sparking and fizzing out.

Grasping the pliable material, he pulled the helmet off with a grunt, only to be assailed by hundreds of voices and sights. He started blinking and twitching in pain and looked at his hands in horror. He saw through the armor of his gloves and his own skin, seeing the inner workings of his hand, how the bones and tendons knitted it all together.

Zod fell to the ground as his senses became overwhelmed, and Jack stood to his feet. "My parents helped me hone my senses for years," he declared, "but without your helmet, you're getting it all at once. And it hurts, doesn't it?"

Jack was about to approach the general, when one of his gunships landed and fired a blue bolt of plasma at Jack. Jack flew backwards on impact slamming into a car and falling to the ground. He struggled back up and looked to see the energy from the blast had been dissipated by his suit.

Several soldiers exited the gunship and helped their leader to his feet. They began dragging him to the ship, but he signaled for them to stop. "Faora, kill him," he ordered weakly.

Faora nodded, turning to face Jack with another soldier, the massive masked brute. Jack by now had regained his footing and walked into the center of the street across from the two Kryptonians.

He looked to see civilians starting to gather, watching the aliens. "Get out of here!" he yelled to them. "It's not safe here; leave before you get hurt!" The humans looked to each other before the crowd began to disperse.

Jack turned back to the Kryptonians and swallowed a gulp. This was not going to be a fair or fun fight for him. Despite this, Jack knew he was the only one who could even hope to hold his own against them.

As the two Kryptonians approached however, all three were distracted by a loud, roaring sound. "They wouldn't," Jack thought and turned. He saw three A-10 Warthogs flying towards the town, and he had a feeling he knew their targets. "They would."

On cue, the three jets opened fire on the three, the guns sounding like repeated thunder strikes. Geysers of concrete flew into the air as the bullets traveled up to them. The bullets pinged off all three harmlessly, and Jack took off, trying to find cover to reduce collateral damage from the military's carelessness.

Faora and he partner, on the other hand, had a different plan in mind. The large brute started lumbering towards the jets as they came back for another pass. He began running and bounded forward until he flew high into the air, colliding with the nose of one the jets with a loud boom. He ripped the cockpit of the plane off and crushed the first pilots head with a single hand.

The other pilot screamed as he activated the ejector. There was a hiss as he flew upwards out of the reach of the brute. At the last second, a large black hand grabbed him and the pilot exploded into a mess of gore under his grip.

The other pilots watched this scene in utter horror. If one man could do that so easily…The pilot looked forward to see Faora leaping towards him as well. "OH **!" he screamed.

As she landed on the plane, Jack slammed into her they flew back into the sky; twisting and turning to face Jack. Jack flew at her and slammed his fist down on her; Faora rocketed down and crashed into the asphalt leaving a crater.

Jack flew down to keep fighting; the brute had a different idea. Jack felt a hand engulf his head and fling him forward; he skidded across the ground pushing up asphalt. He looked back up only to see the large Kryptonian land on his chest and proceed to pound him.

Each blow, while leaving no damage, hurt worse than anything Jack had faced in this dimension. Pulling his arms to his face, Jack managed to halt the offense with a strong kick to the giant's stomach, knocking him back.

Jack got up just in time for Faora to land in front of him. "I will enjoy killing you, child," she growled. As if blinking, she was suddenly in front of Jack, pounding a hailstorm of punches and kicks. Despite Jack's best efforts to block and parry them, he was clearly out matched. Jack lashed out with a punch of his own; Faora grabbed his arm and with a quick twist threw Jack across the street.

He crashed through the window of the K.O. Burger and crashed into a table, condiments spilled everywhere.

"Jack?" a confused voice asked. The boy looked to see Sierra, Vince, and several others staring at him in shock.

Jack shakily stood but before he could speak, Faora crashed through what remained of the wall. Jack turned to her just in time to receive an uppercut to the face. His whole body flew into the ceiling before crashing back down, stunned.

"Your morality is what weakens you Kal-El," Faora said as she approached the group of teens. "You're need to protect these humans puts you at an evolutionary disadvantage."

"Hey bitch!" Vince yelled as he tried to punch her. The woman raised an eyebrow and caught the boys hand with her index and slight pressure, there was a loud crack as the bones in his hand snapped. The red head howled in pain as he stumbled back holding his shattered hand.

As Faora prepared to end him, Jack rushed into her, knocking her through the K.O. Burger sign. Jack followed, leaping out of the wrecked store and landing by the fallen sign. He grasped the torn end of the sign and, grunting slightly, lifted it off the ground.

Faora got back up just in time to see the sign collide with her face. The woman went flying into a bank, shattering glass and mortar. Jack dropped the sign with clang and flew in after her.

As he flew into the building, her hand shot out like a cobra and caught hold of his throat. "And it has been shown time and time again," she said as she flung him into the vault door, leaving a large outline in it. "Evolution always wins," she finished with a smirk.

Jack glared at her, his fists clenched. He shot out of the damaged vault and collided with Faora. The woman was knocked flying out of the building and crashed through a garbage truck, Jack close behind. Jack landed in front of her, preparing to engage in another fight, when a large truck was thrown into him.

The teen and truck crashed through another building, leaving him stunned. "That was simple enough," she scoffed as her partner landed by her. "Capture the boy and prepare to bring him to Zod," she ordered. The brute grunted in compliance and began walking to the wreckage. The familiar sound of the ground bridge opening caught their attention, and the two turned to the vortex as four vehicles raced out.

The vehicles came to a stop and began shifting and changing. Slowly, the vehicles took the form of Team Prime, blasters armed and pointed at the two Kryptonians. The Kryptonians struck their own battle positions, and the two sides were silent.

_Earlier at Autobot HQ…_

The base was almost completely silent after the news that the alien had turned himself in. Bee, Bulk, and Ratchet were ecstatic that the crisis was over, but the others knew better. Jack was likely in danger now, and Zod was likely planning his next move.

A beep from the terminal caught everyone's attention, and Fowler's face appeared. "Prime, we got a problem in Jasper," he said.

"What do you mean Agent Fowler?" Optimus asked as he approached the terminal.

"I mean it seems our alien friend and Zod got into a bit of a disagreement. Right now, this Kal-El and Zod's men are engaged in a brawl that's tearing the town apart," Fowler explained.

"Has there been any military involvement?" Optimus asked.

"Three A-10 Warthogs were sent in to deal with it. One was destroyed by one of Zod's men, and the rest were forced to retreat before they followed suit. So far, no civilian causalities have been reported," Fowler answered.

Arcee only smiled slightly. That was just like her partner to make sure others were out of harm's way.

"Anyway," Fowler continued, "we are in need of your help, our weapons seem to have little effect on these Kryptonians, and the higher ups think you guys might be able to handle it."

Bulkhead smirked and slammed his fists together. "We'll handle those fleshies good Fowler. Right Miko?"

Miko gave him a worried look and turned back to the screen, silent. Bulk cocked an eyebrow at the girl's silence, but decided she was probably just worried about June and Jack as well as her host parents.

"Ratchet, open a ground bridge, we shall assist Kal-El in fighting off Zod's forces," Optimus said.

"Wait; we're helping the fugitive?" Bulkhead asked, confused.

"It stands to reason that Kal-El is not a fugitive, but likely is the subject of a vendetta from Zod. According to the details of Fowler's report, Zod's forces attacked him in Jasper, not the other way around."

Bulkhead mumbled to himself, and Optimus turned to face the portal. "Autobots, roll out!"

_Present time, Jasper…_

The two sides stared each other down, neither one making a move. Finally, Faora broke the silence. "So, you must be the Autobots. I will say you appear more competent than that pathetic hunk of metal, Megatron."

Optimus merely glared at the woman. "My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I ask you to please leave the area before you begin to incur human casualties."

Faora laughed hard and loud, causing Bulkhead to scowl at her. "Something funny fleshy?" he growled.

"Why yes, the fact that you believe yourselves to be intimating in the slightest," she turned to her partner. "Handle the fat green one and the yellow one. I shall handle Prime and the female."

The giant grunted and walked towards Bulkhead and Bee, the former shifting his servo into a mace. "You want to rumble fleshy? Alright, lets rumble." He brought his fist down, aiming to crush the Kryptonian.

To his shock, his mace stopped dead in its tracks. The brute grabbed hold of the mace and turned sharply. Bulkhead was lifted off the ground as he spun; the giant let go and he flew into Bumblebee, the two bots flying off. The brute jumped after them, intending to finish them off.

Faora turned to Optimus and Arcee. "Shall we begin?" she asked mockingly.

Their response was to shift their arms to weapon mode, Prime using his swords, and Arcee using her arm mounted blades.

Optimus charged Faora, blade raised, while Arcee flanked her. Faora caught the Prime's blade and twisted, bringing the Prime to the ground. With a quick flick of her wrist, she shattered the blade like she'd done with Megatron's own sword. She dropped the fragment and jumped at his face, grabbing the crest on the front of Prime's helmet. As she grabbed hold, she flexed her midsection, heaving the Prime and slamming him face first into the asphalt, stunned.

"Hm, even easier than Megatron," she mused. The sound of metal feet running towards her caused Faora to turn and dodge, right as Arcee's blade passed through her previous position. The female Kryptonian landed legs splayed as Arcee glared at her.

"A female, interesting that a race of machines would have a need for genders. Unless your body type is by choice?" Faora said sarcastically, eliciting a growl from the femme.

Arcee shifted her right arm to blaster mode and opened fire on the women. Faora seemed to teleport from place to place as she dodged the blasts with ease, but as she dodged another blast, she ran into the large foot of Optimus Prime, who'd recovered from his meeting with the ground.

Optimus attempted to crush the woman under foot, but she dodged out of the way in time. Optimus opened fire with his own blasters, adding to Arcee's own barrage. A blast hit Faora directly in the chest, and she flew back into a stop sign. Rushing back to her feet, she charged the two.

Jumping from the ground, she kicked Arcee in the jaw, knocking her helm back. As the femme stumbled back, Faora used her neck as spring board, launching herself at Optimus. Optimus attempted to punch the smaller organic, and Faora met his blow with a blow of her own. There was a loud crack, and Optimus reared back howling in pain as his servo shattered under blow.

Faora landed on the ground with a thud and grabbed the Prime's leg. Heaving, she slammed him face first on the ground before doing the same again, leaving the Prime broken and bleeding Energon on the street.

Faora turned to Arcee, who was rubbing her vocalizer from the earlier impact. The femme looked at her fallen leader and glared at Faora. The two women struck their fighting positions, Arcee's blades extended, and Faora's fist raised.

Faora made the first move, running and jumping at Arcee. She attempted to kick the femme again, but this time Arcee blocked it with her blade. The femme began taking steps back as Faora kicked and clawed at her blades, trying to break her defense. This whole time Arcee was waiting for her own chance to strike.

Her chance came when Faora leapt backwards into the air. Midway through her leap, Arcee struck out with her blade, cutting across the woman's back; sparks flew from the strike and Faora spun as she crashed into the ground.

Faora stood back and caught Arcee's blade in both hands when the bot tried to strike her. Repeating what she'd done with Optimus and Megatron, she flicked her wrists hard and fast snapping the blade off Arcee's arm. The femme hissed in pain as she grasped the area where her weapon had once been.

This proved to be a fatal mistake. Faora grasped the blade and, wielding it like a sword, struck Arcee in her midsection. Arcee gasped in pain as hot Energon began to fall from the wounds. In her anger at the pain, Arcee made the mistake of attempting to crush Faora underfoot.

Faora dodged the falling foot, and used a broken piece of street as a launch platform. She flew into the air and kicked Arcee in the knee. There was a loud SNAP and Arcee's lower leg broke off from the rest of her body.

Arcee screeched in pain as Energon poured from the wound. She fell back against a car, tears of pain flowing down her face. Faora chuckled as she jumped on Arcee's chest, and made a spear shape with her right hand.

"I will enjoy ripping your spark out Autobot," she growled in delight.

Arcee closed her optics, unable to summon the energy to even try and remove the Kryptonian. The hand never hit though, and she opened her eyes to a shock.

Jack stood there, Faora's arm held in place by his own fist, his eyes glowing red with rage. "DON'T EVER HURT HER!" he snarled and delivered a kick into Faora's stomach. The women bent over, gasping for air, as Jack spun, flinging her across the asphalt.

She crashed into the ground and Jack flew after her, aiming to finish this. Before he could reach her, the brute came crashing down on his back, having knocked Bulkhead and Bumblebee into submission.

The giant grasped Jack's face, Faora joining him with her foot on his neck. Jack struggled to break free, but their combined strength was too much for him. Snarling, a bright crimson beam escaped his unblocked eye. It skimmed across the armor of the two, forcing them to let go.

Jack punched Faora away and grabbed the brute by the neck. He rocketed upwards and threw him into the sky. He tumbled back down out of control and Jack delivered a powerful punch that knocked him flying into a small train yard by the now destroyed cement factory.

He looked around for Faora, only to see the woman leaping towards him and tackling him into the ground. There was a loud boom and a small shockwave that shattered glass.

Faora lifted Jack by the throat. "It does not matter how many you save, Kal-El. For every one you save, we will kill a million more," she declared.

Instead of saying anything, Jack grabbed her helmet and pulled. There was a loud tearing noise, and the material of her helmet came tearing off. The woman screamed in agony as she was assaulted by a variety of senses, letting Jack go. Jack stood back up, ready to arrest the woman, when a large train crashed him into another building.

A large gunship descended and several soldiers came out, picking up Faora and allowing the brute aboard. With a boost of speed, it took off, leaving the town in ruins, flames and debris spread everywhere.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee limped into the town covered in dents and scratches and leaking Energon. They stopped in shock to see Arcee and Optimus in worse condition. "Optimus, Arcee!" Bulk cried as the two limped to check on them.

Bulkhead helped Optimus up." Bulkhead, are you well?" he asked weakly, putting the stump of his servo in the crook of his arm.

Bulkhead looked between Prime and Arcee "Am I all right!? You should be asking yourself that!" he said "Where's the other alien?" he asked

Arcee gasped as Bumblebee tried lifting her, and the bot set her back down. "They… Left," she said.

Bee beeped a question. "Yeah, why'd they leave?" Bulkhead asked.

Arcee opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the sound of metal screeching along concrete. They all turned to see the train sticking out of the building shifting and moving. Bee and Bulkhead activated their weapons. Optimus motioned for them to lower them, and, reluctantly, they did.

The train came screeching out of the building and stopped on the other end of the street. The two Bots watched in curiosity as a lone familiar figure stepped out of the building, dressed in a blue suit with red gloves, boots, a cape, red shoulder pads, and with a large S emblazoned on the chest.

"JACK!?" Bulk and Bee asked in surprise.

Jack smiled and waved at them sheepishly. "Hi."

"How did this-" Bulkhead began, but Jack cut him off.

"I'll explain later, but right now we need to get Arcee and Optimus back to base," Jack said.

"We can get Optimus through the bridge easy enough, but Arcee can't handle being moved by one of us without bleeding out…" Bulkhead explained.

"You can't," Jack said as he approached his partner, "but I can."

"What do you mean?" Bulkhead asked. Jack ignored him, putting his attention on Arcee.

"How you doing partner?" he asked with concern.

Arcee grimaced in pain before responding. "Oh you know… About as good as you'd think after… after having your leg broken off…" she joked weakly.

Jack looked at the stump where her lower leg used to be. Energon was coming out weaker now, and the break actually came right at the knee joint, cleanly broken.

"I can cauterize it," Jack explained, "stop the bleeding, but you'll need to stay still."

Arcee nodded and Jack returned his gaze to the stump. Two beams of energy came out of his eyes, and the Energon tubing sealed shut. It was a simple job, but it would hopefully last until Ratchet could look at her.

Jack looked at Arcee and smiled at her. The femme returned his smile weakly, and Jack felt warmth spread through his being. He was happy she'd survived the encounter. Hopefully though, she wouldn't have to fight them again.

Jack turned to the other Bots, who had looks of shock on their faces "Well, what are you waiting for? Call in a ground bridge," he said.

Several moments later, the vortex was swirling to life. Bulkhead and Bee had to use their combined weakened strength to carry Prime through the portal, leaving Jack to carry Arcee.

Jack very carefully lifted her off the ground and floated into the air, trying to keep her dangling leg from scraping against the ground.

"You really are a lot stronger than you look," Arcee said as Jack flew slowly to the portal.

"I get that a lot," he said, trying very hard not to think about "where" he was holding Arcee as he carried her through the portal.

_Autobot HQ…_

Ratchet stood at the terminal with Miko, Raf, and Agent Fowler, watching the Ground Bridge in eager anticipation. They'd received a com from the Bots requesting a bridge and to ready the med bay. Whatever had happened must have been bad.

The group let out an assembled gasp as the first three walked through covered in gashes and dents. "What happened!?" Ratchet demanded as he motioned for them to get into the med bay.

"The Kryptonians turned out to be A LOT stronger than we thought they'd be," Bulkhead said. He noticed Miko's worried look and gave her a reassuring look.

"Where is Arcee?" Ratchet asked.

Bee let out a series of beeps and whirrs. "Being brought in by the other alien? You're bringing this Kal-El to base? Are you mad?"

"Calm down Ratchet. I already knew where the base was; after all you guys showed me the location," a voice said from behind.

Ratchet spun around to see something he never would have expected. Jack Darby was floating 20 feet above the ground with a very injured Arcee somehow being held in his arms.

Ratchet opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off. "Help Arcee and the others first; then I'll explain everything."

Ratchet's optics narrowed. "I'll hold you to that," he said as Jack set Arcee on a berth.

Jack flew to the human platform and landed in front of the gawking humans. Even though Raf and Miko knew who he was and all, they still had difficulty remembering it from time to time. Fowler, on the other hand, fell on his back unconscious.

"He's fine," Miko declared after doing a quick check.

"So," she started, "what's with the S?"

**A/N: It's finally here! This is my longest fight scene I have ever written. Ever, of all time. Again, credit goes to Ardanna for her help with the fight scenes. Not much else to say here except that I probably won't be updating again anytime soon. Remember to review with critique or PM me for plot Q's or ideas. Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Explanations and Planning

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack looked over the Autobots, who were resting in the med bay. Ratchet was scurrying from bot to bot, applying whatever medical care they needed to ease their condition. He was spending most of his time assisting Arcee and Optimus, both of whom had suffered greatly at the hands of the Kryptonians.

Jack couldn't help but feel guilt over everything that had happened here. If he'd never found that ship, Optimus wouldn't have lost a servo, and Arcee wouldn't have lost her leg. True, Ratchet was making quick fixes to their respective injuries, but it was his fault in the first place.

"So," Miko said, "what's the S for?"

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "It's not an S Miko," he explained. "On my world- on Krypton- it means hope."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him "Right, well, here on Earth, that's an S, so it's gotta stand for something." She paused for a moment, thinking.

"How about sup-" she started, when the sound of a car engine caught everyone's attention. Well, everyone minus Fowler, who was still lying unconscious on the floor.

Jack turned to see his mom's car driving into base, battered, dented, and covered in scratched paint but still functional. Jack leapt off the lower platform, to the shock of the Bots, and rushed towards his mother's car as she pulled to a stop.

"Mom!" he yelled in concern as his mother got out of the vehicle. "Are you all right; they didn't hurt you?"

"I'm fine Jack," she said trying to calm the boy. "Nice suit by the way," she said sarcastically, causing his face to turn a crimson red.

"I, ugh…It," he started.

June laughed at his awkwardness before she took a more serious tone. "I am fine, Jack. Honestly, I should be more worried about you. I heard about what happened in Jasper."

Jack dropped his embarrassment. "I'm fine; those guys couldn't have hurt me. At least not as bad as they hurt the Bots," Jack said, gesturing to the bleeding and crippled Autobots.

June gasped at the sight of the Bots. "Are they going to be all right?" she asked in worry.

"Relax Nurse Darby. Most of the damage here is superficial; I should have little difficulty repairing the teams' injuries," Ratchet said as he worked.

Jack turned to the others. "I'm heading to the top of the base," he announced before flying to the elevator.

"For what reason?" Ratchet demanded while he worked.

"I have a lot to work out, and that fight took a lot out of me. I need some time to relax," he explained and the medic mumbled to himself in response.

Jack stood on the top of the mesa, deep in thought while absorbing the rays of the sun. He was deep in thought over the events that had occurred recently. His capture by Zod, their talk followed shortly by his escape from the ship, and then his battle in Jasper. At this point, it was pretty obvious that Jack's secret was out. Right now, though, that was the least of his worries.

Zod planned to terra form the Earth, and Jack had no idea on how to stop him. Jack looked up as he remembered his brief conversation with Jor-El before he'd gone after Zod on Earth. There was no way for him to talk to Jor-El though, unless he…Unless he returned to the ship!

Jack turned and immediately headed back down as fast as the elevator could move. The doors slid open with a quiet ping, and the boy rushed back in. Before he could open his mouth, he saw Ratchet and Bulkhead standing by the platform, glaring at him with arms crossed. Bumblebee was off to the side, his optics downcast.

"Is something wrong?" he asked confused.

"We're just waiting for you to explain yourself to us," Ratchet stated.

Jack let out a sigh. "Now is not the time guys. Right now, Earth is at risk, and I may know a way to stop Zod. Or at least no someone who does," Jack said quickly.

"And why should we trust you after you lied to us this whole time?" Bulkhead demanded.

Jack let out a frustrated sigh. "You can't be serious!?" he asked.

"We are," Ratchet said. "You have lied to us since the beginning Jackson, and we deserve answers."

Jack groaned in frustration. "Okay, fine, here's the short version. I was sent to Earth as a baby and raised amongst humans, got it? Simple as that."

"It's true," June said supportively. "His father and I raised him since he was an infant."

"Then why lie to us?" Bulkhead asked.

"I never lied to you; you just never asked," Jack retorted.

Bulkhead snorted. "You really think it wouldn't have been important for us to know that you're a wanted fugitive from your home world?" he mocked.

Jack glared at him angrily, barely keeping his emotions under control. "Let me ask you something Bulkhead. How does it feel knowing Cybertron maybe dead, but that it will come back to life some day?" Jack asked, his voice forming a scary calm.

Bulkheads gaze narrowed. "It fragging pisses me off," he growled.

"Okay, so how do you think I feel finding out that the man who killed my father and essentially tried seizing power on my own dead world is hunting me down with his own personal vendetta!" Jack yelled.

"What did you mean by 'dead' home world?" Ratchet asked.

Jack turned to him "You guys think you have it bad? At least your world still exists, even if it's uninhabitable. My world is GONE, a barren asteroid field, and with it the majority of the Kryptonian race! That's why I'm here; my father sent me here to preserve some part of the Krypton," Jack snarled.

The room grew deathly quiet. No one except June knew that Jack was one of the few people left of his race.

"So… If your world is gone," Miko started, "where'd this Zod guy come from?"

Jack let out another shaky sigh. "He and his troops survived Krypton's destruction because they were sent to the Phantom Zone for their crimes." He saw the look of confusion on their faces and elaborated. "The Phantom zone is an empty dimension where my people sent dangerous criminals. There are no worlds there, no life, and no sunlight, just perpetual emptiness."

Everyone shivered at the aspect of such a place existing. "So when my world died, it freed them, and they used the ship they were imprisoned in to start searching for me. Apparently, Zod wants something called the codex and thinks I have it," Jack explained

"What's this codex?" Bulkhead asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Jack said, "but apparently it contains all the genetic material from past and future generations of Kryptonians."

"If that's the case, then how was it that your species reproduced?" Ratchet asked seriously.

Jack blushed slightly. "Kryptonians weren't born like humans were. They used… birthing pods, and the codex was used to provide genetic material for each one. Each person was basically born into their occupation."

The Bots looked amongst each other in bewilderment before Miko asked another question. "So, you were a test tube baby?"

Jacks face reddened further "I… ugh… no. I was the first… natural birth on Krypton in centuries, apparently," he explained.

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Ratchet asked.

Jack was silent. He remembered Arcee's reaction to finding out about the ship and knew that these three would probably react just as badly.

Jack inhaled deeply. "Remember that ship that Starscream was digging up?" the three nodded hesitantly. "It was a Kryptonian ship, and I found it when I was knocked under the ice. It might also hold the key to defeating Zod."

The three stared at Jack with dumbfounded looks, unsure of what to think of what they'd just been told.

Bulkhead was the first to break the silence. "You mean to tell me you have control of a warship and wouldn't even tell us!?" he yelled.

Jack turned to him. "It's not a warship Bulkhead; it's a scout ship. It has limited weapons, is very outdated, and is currently residing in Greenland. Besides, you couldn't fit in there anyway."

Bulkhead opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted. "Enough," Optimus said, slightly raising his voice.

"Jack's reasons for lying and his unwillingness to allow us access to his ship are his own. Currently, there are far more pressing matters to deal with," the leader said calmly. The three mechs nodded slowly at the words of their leader.

Optimus turned to Jack. "You said you may know someone who can stop Zod?"

Jack nodded. "The ship I was talking about may have something, a way to disable his ship or something."

"Then give Ratchets the coordinates and we shall bridge you there," Optimus said.

"Hold on." a female voice said from the med bay. Everyone turned to see Arcee emerge patched up. Some of the dents and gashes still remained, but her leg had been reattached and didn't appear to be bothering her.

"Arcee, you're okay!" Jack said with a smile.

"Course I'm fine, it'll take more than a pissed off alien to keep me out," she responded.

She turned to Optimus. "Optimus, permission to accompany Jack to the ship?" she said.

Jack gave her a confused look. "Arcee it'll be just a quick in and out process, you don't need to-"

Arcee cut him off. "If you think I'm letting my eye off you after you pulled that little stunt Jack, you've got another thing coming."

"But…" he protested.

"No buts, I'm coming, if I get the okay from Optimus," the femme said plainly, while turning to Optimus.

Optimus looked over the two, examining Jack's somewhat nervous expression and Arcee's determined look. The Prime inwardly sighed. "Arcee, you shall accompany Jack to the ship," he said.

Jack hung his head in defeat before turning to Ratchet. "Alright, here are the coordinates for the ship." And began giving him the coordinates.

While he did this, Optimus took Arcee to the side. "Is there a particular reason you wished to accompany Jack?" he asked.

Arcee rose a brow at him. "I already told you, after the little stunt he pulled, I don't intend to let him out of my sight."

"But is there more behind that reasoning?" Optimus asked.

Arcee looked at him confused. "What are you talking about?"

Optimus was about to answer when the bridge sprang to life. "Never mind," he said. "It is irrelevant. Go and accompany Jack."

The femme nodded and walked to the entrance of the bridge, Jack standing beside her. The two exchanged a brief look before they simultaneously walked through the portal

_Greenland…_

Arcee and Jack walked out onto the frozen wasteland of Greenland, only taking notice of their surroundings for a moment. The area was covered in ice and snow as per usual, and there was a slight breeze, chilling the already frigid air. The sky was clear, and the sun shone in the sky, though it did little to warm the duo.

"More ice, yippee," Arcee said in a sarcastic tone.

"It was the best place to hide it at the time," Jack said, rubbing the back of his head.

Arcee shrugged. "So where's the ship?" she asked.

"Right over that hill," Jack said, pointing to a large hill.

"Then let's get moving. I'd rather not spend any more time here than I have to," she said.

"Hey you wanted to tag along," Jack pointed out as they climbed the hill.

"Only to make sure you didn't try to turn yourself into Zod again," Arcee half joked.

Jack shivered at the memory of his time aboard the ship. "I don't plan on _ever_ going aboard that ship if I have to," he said, causing Arcee to give him a worried look.

"Jack what did you see on his ship?" Arcee asked.

Jack paused below the summit of the hill and turned to Arcee. The memories of his vision flashed through his mind, and he remembered the appearance of her dead limp form in the rubble. Jack shook his mind of the memory before giving her a reassuring smile.

"Nothing you need to worry about partner," Jack said confidently. Despite this, Arcee continued to watch her partner with worry as he climbed the hill.

The two finally reached the summit, seeing the large ship parked on a flattened area. Off to the left was a large range of mountains, one of which was shattered into pieces of rubble, causing the femme to eye her charge a little suspiciously.

Arcee had to admit while the ship had been impressive when she first saw it, up close it was even more impressive, nearly half the size of the Nemesis. She did notice one thing though, it seemed to lack any form of entrance.

"Uh Jack, where's the entrance?" she asked in confusion.

"Oh right, follow me," he said and walked to a large circular piece of plating. As if sensing his presence, the plating split down the middle and slid to either side. A new entrance roughly 15 feet high stood before them

Jack motioned for the femme to follow in as he himself walked in. Arcee had to duck down as she followed him in, her twenty foot frame barely fitting through the door. Inside, though, the ceilings were tall enough that she could stand to her full height.

She followed Jack as he lead her through the corridors, amazed at the height and similarities this Kryptonian vessel held to Cybertronian vessels, particularly Autobot ones. While the halls would barely fit Prime, they were tall enough to fit the rest of team Prime.

Eventually Jack lead her into a larger open hangar area and came to a stop by the door. "Jack, where's this computer you were talking about?" she asked.

Jack looked up at her and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah about that, it's not necessarily a computer," he said nervously.

Arcee was silent for a moment. "What?" she growled out.

"I didn't lie," Jack hurriedly said. "I just didn't tell the whole truth."

Arcee raised a brow about to ask what he meant when Jack interrupted her. "It would be easier for me to show than to tell," he said.

With that he pulled out the command key from his belt and walked to a pedestal that had assembled itself during their short exchange. There was a similar suction effect, and the key was ripped from his grasp and sucked into the port. Jack pressed it the rest of the way down, and with a whirr the ships remaining systems activated.

"What did you do?" Arcee asked as the lights flicked on.

"Kryptonian command key, standard tool used by all Kryptonians to interface and control our technology," a voice answered from her other side.

Arcee whirled towards the voice, her blasters armed and pointed at a man dressed in robes. Jack was immediately in between the two. "Whoa, whoa, Arcee calm down," he said.

"Who is that?" she asked, blasters still armed.

"Arcee," Jack said as he stepped to the side, "I'd like you to meet my father, Jor-El."

Arcee's jaw dropped for a moment before she regained her composure. "But you said your father was…" she started but stopped not wanting to mention it to him.

Jor-El, however, finished her sentence. "Murdered? Why, yes I was," he said calmly, causing Arcee to look at him in bewilderment.

"Apologies, allow me to properly introduce myself," Jor-El said. "I am what is left of Jor-El's consciousness, transferred to that command key my son possesses before my untimely death. I am in essence an artificial intelligence with the hopes, dreams, and emotions of the original," Jor-El explained.

Arcee looked to Jack for confirmation on this, and he nodded. Arcee slowly lowered her battle stance, and her weapons folded away.

"Sorry," she said, "just a little on edge."

"I understand Arcee; it's perfectly reasonable," Jor-El said before turning to Jack. "I assume you have come here to learn how to send Zod to the phantom zone?" he asked.

"Yes Dad, I have," Jack answered.

"Then follow me, I shall explain it to you. The details are specific, and, unfortunately, Arcee will need to remain here." Jor-El said.

Arcee was immediately back in defensive mode ."And why's that?" she asked in suspicion.

"The room Kal must follow me to is too small for you. Rest assured I shall not hurt him. He is my only son after all," Jor-El said with a ghost of a smile.

Turning, Jor-El began walking down the hall, Jack hesitantly following. He turned back to Arcee and gave her a smile which she returned. Jack and Jor-El disappeared shortly after that, leaving Arcee alone to her thoughts. She decided to sit against the wall and contemplate all the recent events of the past few hours.

She thought of her intense worry when she'd found out Jack had been turned in to Zod by the government. It had taken all her will power not to head to the military base he'd been at and tear the idiotic humans apart for what they'd likely put him through. When she'd found out that he was in Jasper alive but in the fight for his life, her spark went through a multitude of emotions she was still trying to sort out.

She'd felt joy for certain on hearing that her partner was alive for sure. She'd also felt immediate concern and worry over whether or not he had been hurt during his captivity. This had only worsened when she'd found out he had fought two military trained Kryptonians. She had been about ready to head out herself and when Prime had said they were going to help him had to maintain all her control to not rush through the portal after him.

Arcee's thoughts drifted to her fight with that Kryptonian Faora. The brutality that woman had demonstrated through the fight disturbed Arcee. It almost reminded her of a Con, taking a sick, perverse pleasure in murder and death. Arcee shivered as she remembered how her leg had been snapped off by Faora, running a hand subconsciously over her knee, but what she remembered most about her fight was the end, when Faora nearly killed her.

It wasn't the fact that she'd nearly been killed by an organic a fourth of her size, it was how said organic had been stopped that stuck with her. Arcee remembered the look on Jack's face, the tone of voice he'd used when he stopped her.

She'd never seen him act that way around anyone, not even towards Airachnid. Then after, when he'd come back to help heal her, he'd shown a level of compassion she knew he possessed but he rarely showed. He'd even carried her back to base, even though Bulkhead or Bumblebee could have done the same.

Arcee wasn't sure what that meant. Sure, the two were Partners and would die for each other, but Jack… Jack was different from past partners. She felt a connection with him, something that felt like…

"Hello Arcee," Jor-El said from her side, causing the femme to jump in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," the scientist said.

"No its fine," she said while venting heavily. "Shouldn't you be explaining how to stop Zod to Jack?" she asked.

Jor-El smiled slightly again. "I am more than capable of talking or interacting with multiple people at once. I am an AI after all," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Right," she said, "so why are you out here then?" she asked.

"To talk to you," Jor-El said simply.

"Me?" Arcee said confused. "Why would you want to talk to me?"

"Because while Kal-El, or Jack as you call him, has told me much about you, I wished to get to know you myself. More to the point I wanted to ask you a few questions," he explained.

"What kind of questions?" Arcee asked nervously, though she was unsure why.

"Do you have feelings for my son?" Jor-El asked bluntly.

"WHAT!?" Arcee practically screamed. "What in the name of Primus would make you think that!?" she demanded.

Jor-El shrugged calmly. "Simple, I've seen how you look at my son, and from how he's talked about you it's obvious that he has feelings for you," he stated as if it were the most normal thing in the world for a super-powered alien teen to fall in love with a several thousand year old metal woman with the mentality of a twenty year old. (Wow did I really just write that?)

Arcee opened her mouth to tell the AI off but closed it as he continued. "Understand that I mean no disrespect and simply wish to know. If you harbor no feelings toward my son, I only ask that you let him know so that he does not become fixated on you. If you do, then I ask again that you don't lead him on."

Arcee sat in silence at Jor-El's explanation, any rage she'd had from his question having burnt out in his shine of logic. Arcee's thoughts by now were racing incredibly fast. Did she have feelings for Jack? Sure, she definitely cared for the boy, but did those feelings go deeper? Was she romantically attracted to the teen who'd worked his way past her walls she'd erected after the tragic death of Cliffjumper?

Arcee looked at Jor-El. "I… I don't know," she answered.

Jor-El nodded. "I suggest you search your feelings then. Kal himself seems to have grown more attracted to you now than the last time he and I conversed. His description of what that horrid woman Faora did to you has convinced me of that."

Arcee just nodded hesitantly. "Good, glad we got that sorted. Kal shall be exiting shortly," Jor-El said and vanished, leaving Arcee to her thoughts on her partner.

_Later at Autobot HQ…_

Jack and Arcee walked through the bridge back into the base where the Bots and humans waited eagerly. Agent Fowler had finally regained consciousness and looked exhausted.

Miko was the first to speak as per usual. "So Superboy, did you find out how to beat Zod?"

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "Superboy?"

"What? You are basically a superhero, and you have a giant S on your chest. It makes sense," she explained, earning an eye roll from Jack.

"So did you find a way to beat him?" she asked again

Jack nodded solemnly. "We did, but there is one problem," Jack said.

"And that is?" Miko asked.

"Ratchet, check the activity in the Indian Ocean," Jack ordered. The medic raised a brow at him, but Jack's glare killed any protest that might have escaped the medic's lips.

Ratchet began scanning the area, when a loud beep caught his attention. He zoomed in and his optics widened at the readings he received. "By the Allspark!" he said.

"What is it Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"A large extraterrestrial object has landed in the Indian Ocean and appears to be modifying the atmospheric and gravitational forces of the area."

"The world engine," Jack said cryptically.

Before he could explain what it was he meant, Fowler's phone went off, and he answered it. "This is Fowler. What!? You're kidding!? Alright I'll tell them," Fowler shut his phone and turned to the group.

"Okay, I've got bad news, worse news, and horrible news," he said.

"What's the bad news?" Bulkhead asked.

"The bad news is that Zod's ship has just appeared over New York. The worse news is that he seems to be ejecting some sort of beam that's destroying the city. The horrible news is that Megatron's ship has just appeared over one of our military bases and is demanding to speak with Optimus and his team," the agent explained, turning to Optimus.

"Did Megatron say why?" Optimus asked.

Fowler shook his head. "He only said that it concerned the survival of your species and humanity."

Optimus narrowed his optics as he fell into deep thought. While he thought, the others began talking again. "Why'd Zod head to New York and start destroying things?" Miko asked.

"He's not destroying New York Miko, or the Indian Ocean. He's terra forming it," Jack said.

The Bots and several humans let out a small gasp, but Miko still held a confused look on her face. "What's terra forming?"

"Put simply," Jack said, "he plans on turning Earth into a new Krypton."

"But isn't Kryptonian air toxic to humans?" Raf asked.

Jack nodded. "Turns out Zod's not too keen on sharing this planet. If he succeeds, the human race will be wiped out, and, eventually, the Cybertronians as well," Jack said sadly, sparing a slight glance at Arcee.

"I think you might be over estimating your kind Jack," Ratchet said snidely. Jack just looked at the medic, standing perfectly still.

In a brief flash Jack disappeared grabbed him by the servo, flipped him over his shoulder and planted his foot firmly on his neck. "I'm an untrained, still growing Kryptonian, Ratchet," he said calmly. "Imagine 10 or 15 fully-trained, bred for war Kryptonians could do," Jack stepped off the medic's throat.

Bee started beeping a question as everyone ignored the grumbling medic. "Bee wants to know if you know how to stop him." Raf translated.

"I do," Jack said. "Zod's ship and the one I arrived in both use something called a phantom drive, which uses similar principles to the phantom zone prison for transportation. If we managed to get my ship close enough to his and activated it…" Jack explained.

"Then the two drives would create a singularity that would suck in the ship," Ratchet finished.

"Exactly, sorry about that by the way. Problem is, even though Zod's ship is working in tandem with the world engine to terra form Earth, we still need to destroy the world engine before we decide to drop the ship on Zod," Jack said.

"Why?" Bulkhead asked.

"The gravity around Zod's ship and the world engine would distort any attempt to bring the two drives together," Jack explained. "Basically, we only get one shot at this. If we fail, then Zod wins."

Utter silence filled the base as Jack finished. The severity of their situation was hitting everyone, and even Miko had nothing to say for once. Oddly enough, the one to break the silence was Optimus. "In order to defeat Zod, we will need assistance," he stated before looking over the assembled group. "From the Decepticons."

_US military base, sometime later…_

Jack and the Autobots stood at the military airbase, waiting for Megatron and his escort to arrive. The base itself had been evacuated several minutes ago, so the Bots and Jack simply stood watching the large figure of the Nemesis float above them.

The Bots already had a feeling they knew what the warlord wanted. He wanted an alliance to thwart Zod's plan of world domination so he could conquer the world himself. When Optimus suggested as much, the base had become a fury of arguments and voices trying to explain why that wouldn't work.

Jack, oddly enough, was the one to convince them an alliance was necessary. The Nemesis had the capability to carry the "bomb" high enough so as to not be affected by the gravitational shifts and stay out of Zod's weapon range. Eventually, the Bots agreed to the plan and had assembled at the base as it evacuated, waiting for the Con to arrive.

"He's coming," Jack said ominously. Before anyone could ask how he knew, the roar of an alien jet engine sounded, and the large, silver form of Megatron crashed into the ground before them, resting on a single knee. Several other Cons landed by him, mostly Vehicon troopers, but Starscream and Soundwave were present as well.

"How's the leg doing Soundwave?" Jack asked. Bulkhead and Bee gave him a confused look while the silent Con glared at Jack.

Megatron ignored the two and approached Optimus. "Optimus, I believe you are aware of our little alien problem?" he asked as he glared at Jack, who returned it.

"We are aware of Zod and the threat he represents to this Earth Megatron," Optimus said in a monotone voice.

"Then you must also realize that his conquest of Earth would not be beneficial to either of our parties." The warlord paused for a moment before continuing. "However, my forces would be… insufficient to face his own, and I assume the boy there lacks the age or training to hold his own against one, let alone two or more." Megatron ignored Jack's glare.

"Know that I only say this out of my own desire to conquer this planet Optimus, but I believe our forces must work together to defeat this force," Megatron said it as if each word were poisonous and he might keel over if he said them too fast.

"So you are suggesting an alliance," Optimus stated more than asked.

"Consider it more of a…ceasefire. I assume that you, in your standard irritating brilliance, have already found a way to remove these invaders from _my_ planet," Megatron said.

Optimus sighed. "We have," he answered, "but we will only share it on a single condition, Megatron. You will provide whatever force of arms needed to carry out this mission." Optimus said.

The warlord gritted his teeth before responding. "Very well Optimus, you shall have full command of my forces until Zod has been dealt with, but know this: As soon as he is gone, this ceasefire is over, and we return to the war," he rasped.

"Of course," Optimus growled.

"Good Optimus, now, what is this plan?"

_Autobot HQ…_

"No, absolutely not!" June said arms crossed.

"Mom, I am the only one who can do this," Jack argued.

"No, I refuse to let you go and destroy this world engine. If it's making Earth more like Krypton, then obviously you'll be weaker. And we all remember what happened last time your powers failed," June countered. Jack shivered as he remembered his time in the shadow zone.

"Besides, why can't one of the Autobots go instead?" she asked, angrily looking at the Bots who gained a sudden interest in the floor.

Jack let out a sigh. "Because the gravitational changes would prevent them from getting close enough destroy it, not to mention the defense system is designed to kill slow moving targets." Jack immediately regretted saying that last part.

June whirled back to her son with tears starting to form in her eyes. "And what does that make you? What if your powers fail and this defense system…" She broke into sobs and Jack moved to comfort her.

"I-I already lost your father, Jack… I can't lose you too," she sobbed.

Jack gave her a sympathetic look. "I'll be fine Mom, I promise, and when have I ever broken a promise?" he asked.

"Well there was that one time…" Miko started before Jack immediately quieted her.

"Not my point. All I need to do is destroy a single leg on the engine, easy as that. Once that's done, the bomb will be dropped on Zod's ship and he'll be gone," Jack said reassuringly.

June looked at her son, unsure, when Arcee decided to get involved. "June, I know you're worried about Jack's safety. We all are, but Jack is more than capable of handling himself. If I could go in his place, I would, but he's faster and admittedly stronger than the rest of us and the best choice for this. The rest of us have to go to New York and help the people evacuate," she said. Jack gave her a thankful look and the femme smiled back at him.

June took a deep breath, calming herself and turned to Jack. "Fine, go and save the world, but I swear if you die, I'm grounding you 'til you're thirty," she half threatened.

Jack smiled and nodded. "Got it, don't get killed by the giant terra forming device," he quipped.

With that said, Jack slowly lifted off and flew to the ground bridge walkway. "No matter how often I see it, it's still strange watching Jack fly," Bulkhead said.

Jack floated down and landed in front of the bridge, watching as the bridge began to swirl to life. Jack heard the sound of metal feet behind him and turned to see Arcee approaching him. She bent to one knee and smiled at the boy.

"Hey partner," he said.

"Hey," she replied, quietly tilting her head to the side.

She looked back at Jack. "Is it true what your mother said? That the area around the world engine will…"

"I'm honestly not sure," Jack replied. "What I do know is that if I don't do this, then you, the others, and Earth are doomed."

Arcee looked a little surprised at Jack's words. "I'm in a category of worry all on my own? I'm touched," she joked slightly.

"Well yeah, you're my partner and my friend, Arcee. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you," Jack admitted.

"I feel the same, Jack. If I lost you…" Arcee fell silent. Both knew how hard the loss of Tailgate and Cliff had been on her. "Just be safe. Got it…Superboy?" she teased.

"Funny," he retorted

"It's kinda fitting," Arcee admitted. "Anyway, you should probably get a move on. World's not going to save itself."

Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I don't suppose a kiss for luck would be ok?" he asked jokingly.

Arcee looked slightly stunned by Jack's joke before a coy smile graced her lips. The femme leaned down and pulled the Kryptonian teen into a kiss. Their lips made contact for several moments with little movement as both users lacked any experience with the act. It didn't matter because both sides felt fireworks going off at the same time.

Arcee pulled away and Jack looked at her, stunned. "A-Arcee?"

The femme smiled again. "Come back alive, and we'll talk about it."

The young and stunned Kryptonian nodded and turned, flying down the bridge. As he flew, a small smile graced his lips as he went over the memory of his first kiss.

Arcee looked off in the direction he flew and said softly to herself. "Good luck, my little Superboy."

**A/N: Well I finally got that pairing people have been crawling up my ass begging to know about for the past 13 chapters. Honestly, this chapter was a PAIN up until the ship anyway. On the bright side, I think the next chapter or the one after will conclude most of the plot concerning Man of Steel and will get into my crossover with Elhini (looking forward to that by the way). Don't know when I'll post next, maybe tomorrow, maybe not. Let me know what you thought of the chapter, specifically the ending, and remember to review with critique and PM me for plot based questions or ideas. Oh and if you didn't like the ending, blame Rex blaster 1 it was his idea! (Kidding, blame me I went with it.) Bye!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The World Engine

_Autobot HQ…_

Arcee stood back up as the ground bridge closed, reliving the event that had just occurred moments ago. Her kiss with Jack had surprised her as much as it had him. She simply hadn't outwardly shown it to the boy. And of course Arcee had no regrets. The kiss was worth it, and when this was over she would tell Jack how she really felt. If he hadn't figured that out already.

Arcee heard snickering behind her and turned around to face the group. Miko was giggling like a school girl, Ratchet had a look of abject horror on his face, Bulk and Bee just seemed shocked, and June, Optimus, and Raf seemed as if they knew this was coming.

"What?" the femme demanded with her servos on her hips.

"Oh nothing," Miko said snickering. "Just thinking of a few car washes you and Jack can visit after this. Or a drive in theater. Oh I'm going to get so much mileage out of this!" she shouted in glee.

Arcee ignored Miko's laughing and the shocked look of her teams' faceplates. "So what's the plan now Optimus?" she asked, turning to the mech.

"Hold on," Ratchet started. "You can't just do something like _that_ and not expect us to want an explanation!" he yelled.

Arcee opened her mouth to speak when Optimus interrupted her. "There is nothing to explain Ratchet. It is clear that Arcee and Jack both hold romantic feelings for each other. If that is the case, then there is nothing that can be done to stop it," Optimus said calmly.

Ratchet looked like he was about to protest, but a single look from Optimus made him drop the subject. Ratchet turned back to his terminal, mumbling to himself as he worked.

That little talk over for now, Optimus turned to the Autobots, "Team, as you know Zod's ship is currently causing grave devastation to the city of New York. Your job will be to help evacuate any civilians you find," he explained.

"Uh Optimus?" Bulkhead asked, his shocked expression gone. "What happened to rule number 1: Don't expose ourselves to humans?" he asked.

Agent Fowler coughed, clearing his throat before answering. "The guys up top have decided that since aliens are now known worldwide, keeping the public in the dark about your existence, especially right now, would be a bad idea," he explained.

"So that means…" Bulkhead started.

"Means you guys don't have to hide anymore!" Miko exclaimed. "Swe-eet!"

"So that means that we don't have to remain in vehicle mode at all in public anymore?" Arcee asked curiously.

"Basically put, yes, when this is all said and done, the President plans on making an official announcement about the war between the Cons and you guys," Fowler said.

All the Bots excluding Optimus widened their optics in shock. The benefits of this change were astronomical and would change their very day to day lives.

A single thought entered Arcee's mind though. "But wait; won't that reveal the location of our base to the Decepticons?" she asked, killing the near celebratory mood.

"Well, the idea is still a work in progress," Fowler said.

The Bots nodded in understanding and turned back to their leader. Discussing this was something that would have to wait.

"There is one thing that's bothering me," Bulkhead said, turning to Optimus. "Where are you going to be while we evacuate the city?"

Optimus let out a small sigh. "I will be aboard the Nemesis assisting in the dropping of the ship."

The base fell into further silence at this revelation. "What happens when this is over?" Miko asked. "Are the Cons going to…" She never finished her question; everyone already knew what it was.

Optimus looked at the slightly scared Asian girl. "Rest assured, Miko, that I shall depart from the ship as quickly as possible once the bomb has been activated. Megatron, Soundwave, Jack, Arcee, and I are the only ones who know how to activate it." He nodded to Ratchet who activated the bridge

Optimus turned to his troops. "Autobots, in case this is good bye, I wish to say it has been an honor serving with you all,"

"Likewise Optimus," Arcee said.

"It's been a heck of a run," Bulkhead said. Bee chirped out his own words of encouragement, and the three Bots transformed, rolling through the waiting green vortex of the ground bridge.

_Somewhere over the Indian Ocean…_

Jack flew over the Indian Ocean, thoughts of what had just occurred racing through his mind faster than he was flying. Arcee had kissed him. Arcee, his somewhat angsty, emotionally withdrawn, kick aft partner, had kissed HIM. Jack still remembered the kiss vividly and was wondering. What had she meant when she said they'd talk about it if he lived?

At first he thought Arcee would tell him she was simply obliging him what he asked, when another thought hit him. What if Arcee meant more with that? What if she had the same feelings for him that he realized he had for her?

Jack shook his head. _'Focus!'_he thought. _'Save the world first, then debate whether or not your arguably attractive partner has feelings for you.'_ His mind clear, Jack shot off towards the world engine's location. He couldn't be bridged directly to it as the gravitational anomalies would have made the bridge potentially unstable.

Jack reached the coordinates and came to a screeching halt, floating in midair as he stared at the spectacle before him. A large bank of dark, menacing clouds were covering the sky, and Jack was floating at the edge of them. In the center was the world engine, a massive device well over 20 stories high. Its four legs were spread open, each one resting on a piece of what had once been a crescent shaped island.

The top half of the engine was similar to Zod's ship, being half a sphere resting on a circular platform to which the legs were each individually attached. A massive, blue-white beam was blasting from the center, pushing all the water from the area up and away.

The engine suddenly shifted and seemed to raise itself up. It then dropped and sent a large shockwave out from the beam, knocking more water into the air. This water was being sucked up and assembled into a massive watery halo that encompassed the whole structure.

Jack let out a sigh and put a hand to the communication device given to him by Ratchet. "Ratchet, it's Jack. I'm at the world engine,"

"Good, the others are in New York currently helping in evacuations. How long until you have destroyed it?" the medic commed.

"I don't know Ratchet, but I'll let you know when it's done." Jack ended the com then shot off at the engine.

He'd been warned there was a form of defense that all world engines possessed to protect them from potential attacks by indigenous life. The information on the specifics had been lost to time, so Jack didn't know what to expect. He expected blasters, cannons, maybe even electrical weapons of a sort. What happened next he was not expecting.

As Jack flew towards the world engine, coughing lightly from the increasingly polluted air, a large panel on the spherical side split open. It revealed a large swirling mass of moving and shifting metal as if it contained a miniature metal ocean.

Jack stopped dead in the air. "What in the…" His pondering was interrupted when the metal revealed its purpose. Tendrils made of tiny pieces of metal forming into thick limbs shot out, aiming directly at Jack. It didn't take a genius to figure out what their intent was.

"Scrap!" Jack cursed as he flew directly towards one of the engine's legs, aiming to destroy it before the defenses could slow him.

The metal tendril met him half way and swung towards him. There was a great, meaty smack and Jack flew back, tumbling through the air. Jack came to a stop a few hundred yards away, rubbing his head as he floated. He didn't have time to recover though as the engine shot out more tendrils of steel that began chasing after the teen.

"Again, scrap!" he cursed, this time flying away from the tendrils, trying to stay out of their death grip. He considered ways to destroy the system or at least disable it as he dodged tendrils that lashed out like snakes.

But everything that might have worked seemed impossible to achieve. He couldn't out fly them. They seemed too fast for that. He couldn't fly out of their reach, which seemed unlimited. Trying to tangle them was pointless as the tendrils were constantly shifting into one another with ease.

Jack dodged again as another tendril struck out at him, flipping over it. Before it could recede he let out a blast of heat vision and broke the tendril into shards of metal. His small victory was ended when several tendrils latched onto his legs and cape. Jack turned and shot to the air fighting the pulling power of the tendrils. He shot through the cloud cover, coughing and hacking as he did.

The clouds, it seemed, was where the atmospheric changes were at their thickest. Jack floated there, struggling against the strength of the tendrils. They were incredibly strong and he couldn't seem to break them. Beams lashed out of his eyes, and the tendrils broke off. Jack fell through the cover, only for the whole process to repeat.

_'I hope things are going better over there,'_ he thought

_New York…_

Arcee raced down the damaged streets of New York, searching for any sign of survivors. The city's condition seemed to be worsening with every second. Zod's ship was sending a large white blue beam into the ground and every thirty seconds or so would lift cars, debris, and even civilians up into the air before slamming them into the ground. Every time it did this, the wave went out farther and farther, worsening and spreading the damage.

Arcee streaked down a corner and turned down a barren street when a voice caught her audio receptors. "Help! Somebody, anybody, help!" it screamed.

Arcee pinpointed the voice as directly ahead and sped towards it. So far the evacuation was going smoothly. She approached the voices to see a large African man and Caucasian man standing over a pile of rubble, trying to move it.

Arcee transformed and slid to a stop, causing the two to look at her dumbfounded. "Don't worry," she said trying to sound as comforting as possible, an impressive feat given the wave of gravitational death approaching them.

"I'm here to help; what's the problem?" she asked.

The African man shook himself, accepting the 20 foot tall metal woman in front of him. "She's trapped under the rubble; we can't get her out!" he said hurriedly while motioning to the rubble.

Arcee looked and saw a petite Asian woman trapped under the rubble, metal piping forming a jail cell in front of her. "Alright, stand back," she said, motioning at the same time.

The two nodded and took steps back. Arcee jammed her servos under the collapsed rubble and heaved. At first, there was no sound but the straining of her servos, but slowly and painfully the rubble lifted off the woman as Arcee struggled to hold it.

"Move!" she ordered, stunning the woman slightly. "Now!" she yelled. The Asian woman nodded and quickly extracted herself from the rubble. With a grateful groan, Arcee dropped the rubble with a boom as it swept up dust.

"Now get out of here. Soldiers are evacuating civilians four blocks up," Arcee explained, pointing in the direction with a servo.

The humans nodded and began to run off when the Asian woman stopped. "Wait!" she called as Arcee prepared to drive off in search of more civilians. "What's your name?"

"Arcee," she replied bluntly.

"Thank you Arcee," the woman said before turning to catch up with her compatriots.

Arcee turned back towards the street and transformed, searching for more survivors. Despite her and the others' best efforts, it was obvious that they couldn't save them all. The ship couldn't be destroyed until the world engine was destroyed either. According to Jack, he would com when he'd destroyed it, barring any complications, but if he didn't, the beam should disappear when he did

_'Whatever's taking so long Jack,'_Arcee prayed silently,_'please hurry!'_

_Zod's Ship…_

Zod scowled as he watched the carnage unfold below him. His ship towered, floating above this putrid city like a magnificent flying fortress. The humans had attempted to shoot him down, but the gravitational effects had lead to their own weapons turning on their citizens.

Zod smirked. the foolish humans believed they were capable of taking on superior Kryptonian tech. He had to give them one thing: they were nothing if not persistent. Perhaps if some somehow managed to survive, he would make some of them into slaves. That foolish woman that had raised Kal-El would make a good choice.

Zod's gaze narrowed as he remembered how that _child_ had left him nearly crippled simply by removing his helm. It was a glaring weakness he had overlooked and swiftly corrected. Zod was trained since birth to adapt to a new environment and had ordered all his troops to adapt to the changes of Earth's atmosphere to be safe.

"General Zod," one of his crew reported, "we have detected a large ship over head similar in outlay to the Decepticon ship. It is out of weapons' range."

"It would appear that the Decepticons believe themselves capable of stopping us from achieving our goals," Zod said calmly.

"I shall stop them general," Faora declared as she began rushing to a flight pod.

"No," Zod said coolly. "I shall handle this myself. This machine must be taught that none may stand against the might of the new Krypton." Zod whirled to the exit and strode out to the flight pods.

The flight pods could technically be classified as escape pods. However, they were equipped with their own engines and were capable of in atmospheric flight. The problem was it was a onetime deal. Zod did not wish to possibly waste a gunship flying into Megatron's ship.

Zod strapped himself in and felt the usual weightlessness that accompanied the launch of the pods. There was a sudden hitch and the ship seemed to catch itself in the air before the steel in front peeled back revealing a window. Zod redirected the ship and flew up directly towards Megatron's ship.

He slowly drew within range of the large vessel and, once within 2,000 feet, popped the hatch. The top of the pod blasted open and Zod stood up, the wind buffeting his cape. He planned to jump from the pod to the ship and begin systematically ripping it apart. Zod tensed his legs and in a burst of strength shot straight towards the ship, rapidly closing the gap.

As Zod approached it, a large silver form slammed into him. The general flew backwards, falling to the city below. Zod crashed through several buildings, all of which shattered into thousands of glittering pieces as glass, steel, and concrete fell to the streets below.

Zod finally crashed into a street, skidding into the ground and pushing up concrete. He stood to his feet and shook off his daze to look at the form that had battered him down.

A large, silver alien jet came to a stop, hovering over him before its metal form shifted. When it finished realigning its metal, the large form of Megatron stood before him.

Zod smirked at the warlord. "Did you not learn from our last encounter!? I would hate to see a repeat of that mistake," the general said snidely.

"I have made a few mistakes in my lifetime Zod," Megatron hissed, "but this is not one I intend to make again!" Megatron declared.

Zod opened his mouth to respond when the sound of a large horn went off. Zod turned to see a large red and blue big rig speeding towards them. The Semi-truck transformed and revealed itself to be none other than Optimus Prime.

"Optimus Prime," Zod said, spreading his arms in mock friendliness, "I have heard much about you from Faora. Surely you and Megatron don't believe you could hope to stop my followers."

Optimus glared at the general and his mouth plate slid shut with a definite snap. "We hold no illusions about facing your followers Zod," he said as his deep baritone voice rumbled through the area, "but perhaps we can derail their objective." Optimus formed his servos into blades. "By removing its head."

Megatron cast a quick glare at the Prime before returning his gaze to Zod. "And today you shall fall Zod!" he declared as he unsheathed his own blade.

"Very well," Zod said calmly. "Let the games begin!"

_Indian Ocean…_

Jack let out a grunt of pain as a tendril whipped across his face, knocking him back. He'd been at this for 15 minutes and was starting to get tired. He'd been flying in circles, trying to get the tendrils off his tail and so far had been very unsuccessful. Every time he grew near the engine, more tendrils would swarm him and try turning him into their personal chew toy.

Jack turned to face the tendrils as he flew backwards and loosed a beam of heat vision. Metal sparked and melted as the beams of heat crisscrossed them, but it was all for not. More tendrils spawned forth and raced towards him, similar to a pack of rabid dogs.

Jack tried pouring more speed into his flight when he felt the familiar metal grip of the tendrils. He looked back to see they had all merged into a single tendril that slowly slithered over his body until the entire lower half was consumed in the metallic creature. Jack struggled against the machine, but couldn't make it budge.

He suddenly felt his direction changing and realized the tendril was going to toss him to the side like he was trash. Jack felt the wind speed up and he was suddenly released, flung into the large central beam under the engine as it pulsed, repeatedly raising and slamming the water back down.

Jack let out a yelp of pain as he slammed into the ground with a loud thud. The beam pounded down on him relentlessly, like a massive wave of energy. Jack struggled to try and look up, but the gravity and pulsing shoved him back down.

Jack's legs gave out and he fell face first onto the ground, his energy wasted_._He simply couldn't fight the wave of energy pushing him down. Jack let out a cry of defeat and lay there for several moments.

His eyes snapped back open as the realization of what he'd almost done occurred to him. He'd almost doomed Earth and his friends to death. He'd almost doomed Arcee and the Autobots to death.

Reaching inside himself, he found a hidden reserve of energy. Struggling, Jack shakily stood to his feet while the beam continued to pound down on him. Feeling the familiar pulse of energy he always felt before he flew, Jack rocketed skywards. He fought against the relentless current of the beam, slowly gaining more and more speed. He seemed to suddenly break the current and shot towards the World Engine.

There was a massive plume of smoke, fire, and debris as Jack blew through the under carriage of the engine. He tumbled through the air, sailing into the ground with a loud crash. The world engine, on the other hand, groaned and shrieked as it slowly began to collapse. The beam shut off, and the large halo of water surrounding it collapsed, splashing back down into the ocean.

Fire and smoke belched from the engine, and it slowly tilted to the side. Its legs began to give out and one by one snapped like giant toothpicks. The whole contraption fell into the ocean with a titanic splash and, like that, it was over.

Jack himself was lying on his back on the rocky coast of the island, drenched in water. He slowly and shakily raised his hand to his comm. "Ratchet," he said weakly, "mission…accomplished." And faded somewhere between unconsciousness and consciousness…

_New York…_

Optimus crashed through the wall of a small building as Zod kicked him in the chin. The Prime slowly began retaking his feet to see Megatron engaging the general once again. The two had been fighting Zod for some time, normally one at a time. It was starting to show on both of them, who had accumulated numerous injuries, while Zod himself remained unharmed.

Optimus was covered in scrapes and scratches that left his paint barely recognizable. The crest on his forehead had broken in two, and his battle mask had a deep dent in the left side from a heavy punch from Zod. His mid section was slowly leaking energon from a busted valve from one of Zod's kicks.

Megatron was not in much better shape. One of his optics was struggling to stay open after Zod had viciously tried to stab him with his hand. The sharpened ends of his helmet had been bent or broken off entirely, and he had a thin cut running along his chest. His right shoulder pad was heavily dented and torn, leaking energon and slowing his blows and blocks.

Megatron attempted to deliver a side blow with his blade, only for Zod to redirect it into the ground. The blade stuck in place and Zod ran up his arm to deliver a somersault kick to his jaw. Megatron flew backwards and there was large cloud of dust and soot as he crashed through a wall.

By now, Optimus had recovered enough to rejoin the fight, blasters armed. He fired a barrage of blue energon bolts, which Zod dodged with ease, seeming to blink in and out of existence. Optimus fired a blast near his leg, and the general dodged, only to receive a well timed blast in the chest. He flew back and collided with a wrecked car, crushing the metal on impact.

"About time someone put him down," Megatron rasped as he emerged from the rubble.

Zod growled as he stood, brushing himself off. "Even if you somehow managed to kill me machines, do you really think you could stop the terra forming of this planet?" he asked with a smug smile.

"Once we have finished terra forming the Earth, we shall wipe you pathetic Cybertronians from this world as well." Zod turned to Optimus. "And you Prime will get to watch as I rip the heart out of Jor-El's brat!" Zod declared.

As if purely to prove him wrong, the beam from his ship suddenly flickered out and all the material in the air dropped like a rock to the ground. There was a collective crash heard through the city as rocks, cars, and other debris fell to the ground.

Zod looked at his ship in horror. "What!? What happened!?" he demanded.

"That would be the work of 'Jor-El's brat'," Optimus said proudly.

Zod turned to the two mechs angrily, pure fury painted on his face. "I will kill you both!" he declared in anger and leapt towards Optimus.

But Megatron and Optimus had expected this, and as Zod approached the Prime's helm, Optimus ducked and Zod was met with the fist of Megatron slamming down on him. As Zod fell down, Optimus slid to the side and brought his foot up, kicking the general back into the air. Prime then delivered a powerful backhand, knocking the general through a building and into the clearing that Zod's ship had cleared.

Optimus and Megatron rushed after him, the warlord leaping high into the air to attempt to stomp on him. Zod rolled out of the way as Megatron landed with a thunderous boom, only to meet Optimus's blaster fire. Several blasts knocked him back as they barraged his chest.

Zod covered face with his arms, only to feel the cold grip of Megatron's servo grip his upper half. Megatron leaned back as he did like a baseball pitcher and flung the Kryptonian forward. Zod tumbled through the air as Optimus delivered a satisfying blow with his own fist. Zod flipped over backward and hit the ground with a thud.

He opened his eyes to see Optimus's foot descending on him and shot to his feet and grabbed to foot. Crouching slightly, Zod pushed off the ground like a spring and knocked the Prime on his rear. Zod flipped over him and twisted to face him as he landed and skid backwards, kicking up dust as he did.

Optimus stood to his feet and turned towards the general, Megatron standing at his side. Both Cybertronians armed their blasters and opened fire as Zod charged them. Zod winked between the shots and shot over Prime, aiming to deliver a roundhouse to Megatron. He felt a servo on his leg though and realized the Prime had grabbed him.

He flung Zod down towards Megatron's own foot, and the two forces met. There was a loud CRACK as Zod's chin met the edge of Megatron's spiked foot. Prime used the continued momentum to throw Zod forward into the ground. Zod tumbled as he did, landing in an undignified heap.

"Do you think that put him down?" Megatron asked, slightly hopeful.

His answer came in the form of a ruined bus slamming into his face. "I believe not," Optimus said in a calm voice.

He felt a presence to his right and turned to see Zod's foot meetin his optic. Optimus let out a pained yell as he fell back, grasping the cracked optic. Optimus tried to recover, only to feel Zod grab hold of his chest plate and slam him into the ground with a loud crash. Optimus lay there dazed while Zod jumped onto his neck and grasped the battle mask that adorned his face. With a mighty heave he ripped off the Prime's mask and flung it to the side.

"Know this Prime," Zod said. "You shall be the first Cybertronian to die by my own hand." He lifted the Prime's massive head to better see him. "You shall not be the last!" he snarled viciously dropping the Cybertronian's head back down with a thud.

Zod raised his hands up to smash in his head when a violet burst of energy hit him in the chest. Optimus weakly looked to see Megatron, emerged from the wreckage of the bus. "No one terminates Optimus Prime but me!" he yelled furiously.

Zod glared at him before taking off. Megatron attempted to block his incoming attack, only for Zod to use his arm as a stepping stool to leap over his head and kick him in the back of the head. Megatron stumbled forward but attempted to swing his left arm to knock Zod away, forgetting his last encounter with Faora.

Zod grabbed hold of his arm and twisted hard, eliciting a scream of pain from Megatron. "KNEEL!" Zod yelled at his opponent as he applied more pressure. "I SAID KNEEL!"

Megatron glared hatefully at Zod. "Megatron kneels to no one," he said weakly.

Zod twisted his arm painfully, causing cracks and groans to emanate from the stressed elbow joint. "I SAID!" he paused for a moment as he further applied pressure, "KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!"

Slowly and weakly, Megatron fell to his knee, and Zod released his now useless left arm. Zod smirked. "Some mighty warlord," he said smugly and prepared to finish him. "You shall not be missed.

Megatron clenched his optics shut, too weak to even defy Zod, but as Zod was about to finish Megatron off, a blue blur slammed into him, causing him to skip across the ground like a pebble. Jack stood there in front of Megatron.

Jack looked up at the warlord. "You owe me one," he stated. "Now get to the Nemesis and drop the bomb," he ordered. "I'll handle Zod." He cracked his knuckles to emphasize his point.

Megatron reluctantly nodded, called for a ground bridge, and limped through. Jack turned to Zod as he stood back up.

Zod glared at Jack. "Insolent child! What hope do you have fighting me!?" he demanded, his face starting to turn red from anger.

Jack simply looked at him silently before bringing a hand to his com. "Arcee? It's Jack. Head to the center of the city. Optimus needs medical attention." He took his hand off the com before he could receive a response.

Without warning, Jack flew towards Zod as fast as he could kicking up dirt as he did. Zod only had a split second to react before Jack collided with him with a resounding crash. A small shockwave spread out, and the two flew towards his floating ship.

Jack slammed the two through the metal of the ship, and they separated as they sprawled into a fairly deserted part of the ship. Both rolled away, and Zod lay on his back, exhausted from his combat with Megatron and Optimus. Jack, however, had managed to recharge his energy and was in far better condition than Zod was.

Jack lifted him up by the collar of his armor and slammed him into the wall denting it. He left Zod in the imprint and ripped several strips from the wall, using it to encase him there. Soon Zod was wrapped in steel and temporarily subdued, physically at least.

"Can't even kill me Kal-El? You're that weak?" Zod taunted weakly.

Jack glared at him. "I don't need to kill you, just keep you here long enough." Jack brought a hand to his com. "Ratchet? Send a bridge to my coordinates." He paused for a moment. "Well, how long will it take to lock on?" He groaned. "Just hurry. I have to make sure Zod doesn't escape."

Jack closed the channel and turned to Zod, about to speak, when the sound of an opening door caught his attention. Jack turned to see Faora there, staring angrily at him, and uttered the first word to come to mind. "Scrap!"

_The Nemesis…_

Megatron hurriedly limped into the bomb room. "Activate that bomb now!" he ordered.

Knockout and Starscream looked at him, surprised. "Lord Megatron, you're injured! Allow me to attend to your injuries," Knockout said.

"Never mind that Knockout," Megatron growled. "We have an excellent chance to eliminate two very powerful threats to our cause: Zod and the Autobot pet," he said in the nearest thing to delight.

Realization dawned on his followers, and they busily set to work. In a matter of seconds, the bomb was ready for launch, sparking bolts of energy as the drive powered up. With no actual course though, it would simply continue to spark and remain active. Until it came into contact with another drive.

"Drop it," Megatron ordered.

Knockout nodded and pressed a command on the terminal. The hangar doors opened, dangling the bomb by a clamp over the city. Then, with a sudden hitch, it dropped to the ship.

_Zod's ship…_

Jack grunted as he was knocked into a wall. Again. Faora had been tossing him around like a ragdoll for the past two or three minutes, and Jack was sorely outclassed. "Ratchet," he hissed over the com. "Anytime now!"

As if on cue, the vortex swirled to life behind him. Jack quickly stood up and began making his way to it. Faora, on the other hand, ripped her leader free of his bindings.

Zod fell to the floor and immediately stood. "After him!" he ordered, and the two ran after him.

A shockwave shook the entire ship, causing all three to stumble back and forth as they struggled to maintain balance. Zod looked to the center of his ship and to his horror saw the walls buckle and cave as they were sucked into the singularity in the center of his ship.

"Get through the portal now!" he ordered frantically.

Jack looked back as the two ran towards him or, more specifically, the portal. Jack turned back to the vortex and saw its whole shape shifting and fluxing erratically in the pull of the singularity. Jack sprinted towards the portal as fast as he could, Faora and Zod behind him.

He jumped for it as the singularity's pull increased, and felt something grab his leg, swinging him to the ground. Jack turned to see Zod grasping his leg, his face seeming to turn to dust as he was sucked to the singularity, Faora grabbing hold of his cape.

A sudden whirring noise from the bridge caused Jack to look at it in worry. He knew that sound all too well. "Not again!" he moaned. The bridge exploded and, in an instant, Jack, Zod, and Faora were gone.

_New York…_

A large, blue explosion ripped through the structure of Zod's ship, ripping and tearing the metal apart. The legs of the ship themselves began to curl up towards the center, and it appeared that the whole ship was being sucked into a single area. In a single blast of energy, a massive shockwave was released, spreading across the city and shattering glass everywhere.

Once the soft tinkling of glass had stopped, the city fell into silence. The ship that had threatened the world was gone…

_Autobot HQ…_

Arcee and the others walked through the ground bridge, easing Optimus in as they did. Their leader was heavily damaged from his brawl with Zod. While not as bad as when he'd fought Faora, Optimus was not in the best of condition.

After making sure Optimus was going to be fine, Ratchet turned to the others. "Did you see any sign of Jack?" he asked.

Arcee raised a brow at Ratchet. "No, didn't he come through the bridge you…sent…to the…ship," she said as her optics widened in horror.

"No," Arcee said as the others immediately started to try and comfort her. "No, no, no!" she yelled hysterically.

"He can't be. he wouldn't…" Arcee babbled before Ratchet stopped her.

"Arcee, calm yourself. A simple scan will reveal if the…if the worst has befallen Jack," Ratchet said as comforting as possible.

Ratchet set to work conducting a scan for Jack. The results he got back shocked him. "This can't be!?" he said in shock.

"What is it!?" Arcee demanded worriedly, the concern for the one she cared for growing.

"Arcee," June said from the platform, gaining the femme's attention. "Calm down. we have gotten Jack out of bad situations before. We will get him out of this one. Now let Ratchet work," June calmly said, hiding her own nagging worry as well.

Arcee hesitantly nodded before venting deeply. "As I was saying," Ratchet said, "Jack is not in the phantom zone as you feared Arcee…But he's not here either," Ratchet explained.

"You don't think he wound up in the shadow zone, do you?" Raf asked.

"No, no, no," Ratchet said, shaking a hand in dismissal. "Jack's signal, while suffering interference, has not been sent to the shadow zone. I have specified scanners for that," Ratchet explained.

"The more likely explanation is that the singularity of the explosion interfered with the ground bridge. As such, it is likely Jack has been sent to another parallel dimension. Our best bet before attempting to physically retrieve him is to try and contact him," Ratchet said.

Arcee let out a great, full breath of relief at this news. "So, how long until you can contact him?" she asked.

"A day or two at the most. Until then, Jackson is on his own," Ratchet said cryptically.

**A/N: It's over. It's finally over! I can finally get to the crossover I've been waiting on for over a week and a half. So for those of you who might be worrying we won't get a final showdown between Jack and Zod, don't worry we will but not for a while. Next chapter begins the crossover, and to those who haven't read Elhini Prime's story Son of The Stars, I recommend you do, otherwise you'll be VERY confused in the next few chapters. Anyway, review with critique and PM me with plot ideas or questions. I'm serious with the plot ideas. I'm going to need them bad for the following chapters. Bye!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Crossing Over

_Unknown location…_

Jack flew out of the portal, landing with a loud crash and leaving a burning crater. The teen let out a painful groan at the pain that engulfed his body. Unlike his first experience with the ground bridge, or even when he'd been sent to the shadow zone, his whole body felt like it was on fire.

He tried struggling to his feet, only for his legs to give out. He fell forward, twisting at the last second and landing on his back. He weakly opened his eyes to see it was night and stars littered the sky.

_'Strange,' _he thought. _'Wasn't it the middle of the afternoon?'_ Of course such thoughts began to die as he felt a wave of blissful darkness engulf him. The last thing he saw as his eyes closed was a human shaped figure rapidly descending down the crater towards him…

_Jack's mind…_

Jack slowly stood and saw he was in the familiar desert of his nightmares. He turned to his side, expecting to see the mysterious form of his father, but what he saw instead made his blood run cold.

Zod stood on a metal platform with Faora behind him, his hand grasping a human sized Arcee by the neck.

"Arcee!" Jack called out in fear.

Arcee weakly turned her head to face him, "J-jack…" she said weakly.

"Let her go Zod!" he screamed.

Zod smirked, never looking directly at him. "Why do you care so much for these machines Kal?" he asked in his typically calm voice.

"Let her go!" he yelled again, trying to move forward, but like always his feet refused to move, trapped in the sand.

"Is it because they offered asylum when no human would?" Zod asked. "Or is it for other reasons?"

Jack fell silent, and Zod chuckled. "Do you have feelings for this machine, Kal? An organic falling for a synthetic creature, tsk tsk tsk," he taunted. "What would your father say?"

"Leave my father out of this Zod! Let Arcee go!" Jack screamed, his eyes misting slightly.

"Give me the codex," Zod replied, "or this Autobot will die."

"I don't have the codex!" Jack protested.

"Wrong answer," Zod said and applied more pressure. Arcee let out a weak groan of pain as her metal neck began to constrict.

"Please, let her go!" he begged, falling to his knees.

"Give me the codex," Zod repeated.

"I don't have it!" he said again, tears starting to fall.

Zod looked at him with a small look of anger. "Very well," he said. With a quick flick of his wrist there was a loud SNAP, and Arcee's whole form went limp.

"Arcee!"

_Unknown Location…_

Jack's eyes snapped open as the nightmare ended, panting slightly. He looked around to see that he was lying in a medical room of some kind. He let out a small sigh of relief as he realized it was just another nightmare. He should have known better than to expect them to fade away so easily.

This one though…This one was worse than any nightmare yet. He'd have to talk with someone about that soon. Probably Arcee or Optimus, maybe his mother once everything calmed down.

The slight sound of tinkling caused Jack to look to his right to see his mother dressed in her standard nursing attire and handling some sort of medical equipment. The nurse noticed he was awake and smiled slightly. "Good, you're awake. We were afraid you wouldn't wake up."

He rubbed his head. "How long was I out? Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in base; we were worried about you," she explained.

Jack looked around, but this didn't seem like the base. It seemed more artificial. Maybe it was just another part of the base he hadn't found yet.

He looked to his mother. "Well, I'm fine, but did it work?" Jack asked worriedly.

A confused expression crossed June's face. "Did what work?" she asked in all honesty.

"The bomb; did it work? Did it send Zod and his followers back?" Jack asked, worried that his own mother had somehow forgotten about Zod.

"I don't understand…" she said. "Who's Zod?"

Alarm bells immediately went off in Jack's head. Whoever this person was, they weren't his mother. Jack squinted slightly, and his X-ray vision activated. What he saw horrified him. He'd expected to see flesh and blood under his mother's skin. Instead he saw wiring, metal plating, and a spark beating in the center of his chest.

Jack immediately scrambled away in a knee-jerk reaction. "What the hell are you!?" he yelled as he tried to put some distance between himself and this…creature.

"Jack, calm down," she said, trying to put a protective hand on his shoulder.

Jack reacted, moving fast, and slammed the June dopple ganger against the wall, causing a racket as he knocked some tools over. His elbow arm dug into her throat as he held her there, his eyes glowing red. "Don't fragging touch me!" he hissed.

"Don't touch _her_!" a musical voice snarled.

Two pale hands grabbed Jack and tried to heave him off the imposter. Jack was caught off guard by this sneak attack and stumbled backwards. He turned towards his attacker as he regained his footing and saw a young woman who was a decent slender height with milky white skin and a thin crescent shaped scar on her left eye. She had silver blond hair, and her eyes were a deep black color.

"What in the Pit is wrong with you!?" she snarled at him.

Jack looked at her, confused, and saw a similar underlying biology as the woman "Who are you? What are you? Better yet, what is she?" he demanded, pointing at the other woman that looked like his mother.

She gave him a confused look. "I'm your sister, idiot!" she yelled.

Jack glared at her, hiding her confusion. "I don't have a sister, and even if I did, she wouldn't be some mechanical freak in human skin!" he yelled. He was being a little harsh, but right now he was flipping out.

The woman looked at him in shock. "You little…" she started.

"I don't have time to deal with this," Jack said as he turned around. "I need to find a way to get home and can't deal with MECH's latest failed experiment."

The woman looked shocked by his comment before her eyes turned black and gold speckled them. Jack watched as armor plating covered her frame and a battle mask slid over her face as her already eerie eyes began to glow. With a snarl she lunged towards Jack, clearly aiming to hurt him.

"Dusk no!" the June look alike screamed.

Dusk apparently didn't hear her and slashed her blade across Jacks face. Jack's whole upper body whipped backwards from the blow, staying there for a moment. Slowly, Jack stood back up, and the other women let out a small gasp as they saw he was completely unfazed by the attack, no bruise or cut from the impact.

Quick as a flash Jack rushed forward and wrapped his hand around Dusk's throat, lifting her into the air, his eyes radiating red. The black and gold from her eyes faded as she struggled for breath, and in a single movement he slammed her head against the berth he'd been resting on minutes ago. The woman's head bounced off, and she fell to the ground unconscious.

Loud footsteps caught Jack's attention and he turned to see a large group of Cybertronians rush into the room. These weren't the Autobots as far he could tell. Only one seemed familiar, Ratchet. Two humans he didn't recognize, one a Latino looking male and the other a girl with brown hair and olive colored skin rushed into the room and saw Dusk lying on the floor unconcious.

"Dusk!" the man yelled and rushed to the unconscious woman. He picked her up gently and cradled her as her armor began to fade.

The olive colored girl turned to a very confused and slightly scared Jack. "Y-you… How could you!?" she demanded angrily. "Your sister!"

"Jack, what did you do?" a bot slightly taller than Bumblebee with blue and yellow armor asked.

Jack looked over the crowd of bots and humans that had assembled. "W-who are you? Where am I?" he asked, his voice only slightly quivering with fear.

"You are in the Autobot base," Ratchet stated as if it was obvious.

"BULLSHIT!" Jack screamed, causing the bots and humans to blink back in shock. It was as if they'd never heard him curse before.

"The Autobot base is in a large missile silo; this is a military hangar! Where am I, and who the hell is she!?" Jack demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the June look alike.

"Jack, she is your mother," Ratchet began, "and Outpost Omega-1 was destroyed along with Jasper,"

Jack froze at Ratchet's revelation. "W-what?" he asked quietly.

"The Decepticons destroyed it when they built Darkmount, you know this, you were there to storm the Citadel with Ultra Magnus, Dusk, Jolt, Arcee, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and your mother," Ratchet explained. "Optimus and Smokescreen joined you after you and Ultra Magnus got captured."

Jack looked at the medic, fear starting to grow in his face. "Y-you're lying!" Jack accused.

Several Autobots opened their mouths to speak, but Jack shot off, flying through the roof of the base before any of them could speak, leaving a neat hole in the roof of the ceiling. He flew from that base as fast as he could. The base, Jasper it couldn't be destroyed… Could it?

There was only one way to find out.

_Jasper, Nevada…_

Jack flew hard and fast through the night sky. What Ratchet had said couldn't be true; Jasper had to be standing right?

Jack finally crossed into Jasper and came to a speeding stop as he saw what lay before him. Jasper was in ruin, the once bustling small town was decimated, houses bleeding inky black smoke into the sky. Horror plastered itself on his face. Even his fight with Faora and the brute hadn't left the town this decimated.

Jack descended slowly, landing in the rubble of what had once been his house. It was in the same location with the same front yard and garage with only one key difference. The shed in the backyard was nonexistent, not even rubble from the wreck.

Jack fell to his knees in the ashes, looking over what remained of the place he'd grown up in. It was gone. Somehow the Decepticons had finally pinpointed their location, and now the last remnants of his father's house was gone.

Jack slowly lifted out of the wrecked house and looked on to the direction of the Autobot base. He felt like he knew what was already there, but a small spark of hope refused to die. Jack rocketed off to the base, hoping the familiar mesa was still there and what he'd seen and heard just minutes ago was just a horrible hallucination.

It was not to be and Jack's mouth dropped in horror at the site he held before him. If Jasper had been in bad shape, the base made it look new in comparison. The entire mesa itself had been incinerated by some sort of beam weapon, smoke and ashes still drifting amongst the ruin, though in spare quality.

Jack landed in the only clear spot left of the base, the Autobot insignia still painted on the floor, defiant of the change that had occurred around it. Jack looked around the wreckage, wondering just one thing: How? How had this happened and why had it happened?

The base was hidden from the Cons, shielded from them. How had they managed to find it and how had they managed to overwhelm the Autobots?

Jack's questions were interrupted when he heard the very familiar sound of a ground bridge. He turned, not sure what to expect to come out, when 6 Vehicons decked out in silver instead of their standard purple emerged followed by the familiar figure of Starscream.

The silver seeker chuckled. "Ultimus Prime, it is good to see you again," the seeker said. gleefully "Lord Megatron will reward me handsomely for bringing you before him," he said.

Jack glared at the seeker. "Now is NOT a good day to mess with me Starscream, leave now before I beat you over the head with your arm."

The seeker huffed indignantly. "As if you could perform such a feat. The last time you and I met it ended with you at lord Megatron's mercy."

Starscream looked to his soldiers. "Seekers, capture him!"

One of the silver Seekers made the mistake of trying to grab Jack. The boy turned to the descending hand and instead of grabbing it, two beams of heat vision blasted from his eyes severing the seeker's arm from the rest of its body. The seeker stumbled back, only for Jack to leap up and grab its head with a single arm. In one heave there was a loud crack as he ripped its head clean off its shoulders, flinging it on the ground.

Jack leapt off the dead drone as it fell on its back, dead and leaking energon everywhere. The remaining seekers looked shocked, if only for a moment. Their arms swiftly changed to blasters and they opened fire on the teen. Jack dodged and weaved through the blasts as he approached two of the seekers.

Running fast, he slammed into the lower leg of one, grabbing hold and swung it into the other Con. Both crumpled under the blow, out for the count.

"Seekers, take to the sky!" Starscream ordered as half his force withered in seconds.

The four transformed and took off, expecting to lose the teen. They were sorely mistaken as Jack himself flew after them in hot pursuit. He wasn't in a great mood and intended to make good on his promise to Screamer.

Jack quickly caught up to the seekers, much to their surprise, and slammed on top of one of them. Curling his hand into a fist, Jack slammed through the plating of the Con and ripped it open exposing its innards. With a single blast of heat vision, the Con sputtered and sparked as it lost control and went offline.

Jack leapt off the seeker and landed on the other one, ripping its wing off. Flames spewed from the injury, and the seeker lost control, slamming into the other Con. The two exploded into balls of fire and fell to the desert landscape below. Starscream, having seen this, quickly banked right, returning to the ruins of Outpost Omega.

The seeker transformed and slid across the ground as he landed, his metal heels sparking against the concrete. Jack landed behind him hard, causing the ground beneath his feet to shatter from the force of the impact.

"W-what are you!?" Starscream yelped in fear, stumbling back trying to get away from the Kryptonian.

"All you need to know, Starscream, is that I am _nothing_ like the Jack you know," Jack said as he calmly walked towards him. The seeker growled and raised his right arm, firing a missile at Jack aiming to kill him.

Instead of exploding against him though, Jack moved slightly to the side and wrapped his arms around the missile. At first, he was pushed back slowly by the force of the missile before turning suddenly and redirecting it back at its owner.

Starscream let out a scream of surprise as the missile collided with him, knocking him on his aft. There was a loud clanking noise, and his right arm landed on the ground. Jack calmly walked up to the arm and grabbed it by the end.

Hefting it as if it were light as a feather, Jack proceeded to beat Starscream with his own arm. Starscream was too dazed to try and block or attack and was sent flying backwards into a pile of rubble.

Jack dropped the arm and approached him, grabbing the seeker by his long chin and dragging him to eye level. "Leave. Now," he said.

The seeker nodded quickly. "This is commander Starscream requesting immediate ground bridge." A vortex opened a few feet away and Starscream stumbled through it holding his disembodied arm in his clawed hand.

"Whoa," a single voice said. Jack whirled to see the bots from earlier standing there with a new one standing in front of them.

This one towered over them with red upper armor and blue lower armor. He was incredibly thick and wore a large pack on his pack, though Jack wasn't sure what it was for. What caught Jack's attention was the face. He'd know that face anywhere regardless of the body.

"Optimus?" Jack said staring at the leader in absolute confusion. "What on Earth happened to you?"

"A long story best saved for another time," the Bot answered in a deep, baritone voice. Yep, this was Optimus alright.

"For now we need you to come with us to base," Optimus said.

Jack took a hesitant step back. "And why would I do that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Rest assured, we have no intention of harming you," Optimus said. "We simply wish to know what your intentions in this dimension are," the Prime said.

"Dimension?" Jack said more to himself. A look of realization passed over his face. Suddenly everything made sense. The odd bots, the destroyed city of Jasper, the strange half humans.

Jack looked up at Optimus, his calm look completely deteriorating being replaced with a look of complete regret. "Optimus… I'm sorry so sorry for everything I did," the boy said.

The Prime almost seemed shocked by what he said but nodded. "Then you will accompany us?"

Jack nodded. "I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?" he said sadly.

The Prime and group of Autobots said nothing as the bridge opened behind them and they walked through. Jack slowly followed through into the new Autobot base. The next few minutes would be painful, to say the least.

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack stepped through the bridge, his head hanging slightly. Having realized what he'd done, he was now feeling painfully guilty that he may have hurt several people completely unintentionally. He'd spent his whole life trying not to hurt people, only to have hurt two people within minutes. Granted, he was still tense from recent events, but that wasn't an excuse.

Jack looked up and saw that no one seemed particularly thrilled to see him, Optimus himself wearing a blank expression. He wouldn't show it, but he was relieved to see several friendly faces, though he was shocked by Wheeljack's appearance at base at all. Though technically behind a piece of wall, Jack could also see several of the humans, minus that Dusk woman glaring at him. He decided he best let them know.

"You know I can see you glaring at me right?" he called out, hiding a smile as the two looked shocked by what he said. Jack looked and saw Dusk sitting on a berth with Ratchet fussing over her.

The Latino male was also sitting by her and glared at him. "You have a lot of nerve to…" he started.

"Ben, save it," Dusk muttered at him.

Jack ignored Ben and cautiously approached Dusk, who glared at him with sapphire eyes. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she growled.

Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, I suppose I do, I just wanted to apologize for…knocking you out," he said. "Things back in my dimension were a little bit…hectic. I'm still tense," Jack explained.

Dusk's glare softened slightly. "Fine, I forgive you, but I'm going to get you back for that," she warned.

"And I'd deserve it," Jack said before turning to Optimus. "So what is it you want to know?" the teen asked.

"How about how you beat the scrap out of Starscream with his own arm?" the blue and yellow mech asked.

The others turned to Jack in shock. "You fought Screamer on your own!?" several asked at once.

Jack shrugged. "Not the first time I've used him as my personal punching bag," Jack admitted. Several of the Bots and humans looked at him with a mixture of awe and fear on their faceplates.

Optimus spoke up. "Perhaps you could explain how you gained your abilities," he suggested.

"Fair enough," Jack said with a shrug. He flew up to a walkway in order to better see everyone. Once again, they were gawking at him. He doubted they expected him to do it so casually given his last exit.

"The first thing you have to understand is that, despite appearances, I am not human," Jack started.

"Our Jack isn't exactly human either," the olive skinned woman said nonchalantly.

"Amber," Dusk warned from her berth. The woman raised her hands in mock surrender before returning to quiet.

"As I was saying," Jack continued. "I'm not human. I'm part of a race called the Kryptonians from, well, Krypton." Jack paused for a moment, waiting for any possible questions before continuing. "Even though I was born on Krypton, I actually grew up on Earth, raised by my adoptive parents, June and Robert Darby," Jack said.

Optimus and a red femme, who bore a striking resemblance to Arcee except appearing older and more mature, exchanged a look as Jack explained himself. "I didn't know this until I was twelve when my father showed me the ship I arrived in after I saved my school bus when we crashed into a river. After that I tried my best to hide what I could do," this earned a question from the blue and yellow mech.

"What kinda things?" he asked. "Oh, and the name's Smokescreen by the way."

Jack started listing off his powers. "Let's see…super strength, X-Ray vision, heat vision, frost breath, near invulnerability, an accelerated healing factor, super speed, enhanced sight and hearing, as well as flight," he said, and the group once more looked at him, astounded by the list of powers.

"I stayed under the radar for several years until I ran into the Autobots," he said quickly explaining how he'd met them through Arcee.

Arcee nodded. "That's how me and Jack met in this dimension too," she said.

Jack nodded, quickly returning to his story. "After a few adventures with the Bots, I eventually confided my secret in Optimus after…an event I'd rather not discuss," Jack said as his head hung slightly in shame.

"After that, I eventually stumbled upon an ancient Kryptonian scout ship buried in the arctic when Miko snuck through the portal to follow the Bots," Jack said.

Ben snorted. "Yeah, that sounds like Miko alright,"

Jack continued his long explanation, explaining how he'd learned who he was aboard the ship and his true name as well. "So, what exactly is your name?" Smokescreen asked.

Jack turned to him. "My name is Kal-El, and apparently I'm one of the last Kryptonians alive," he said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Dusk asked.

"Remember how I said I was sent to Earth as an infant?" he asked her, to which she nodded. "It was because my home world, Krypton, was doomed. I was sent away to help preserve my race because my planet is nothing but a barren asteroid field, the Kryptonian race along with it." Jack finished his explanation earning several sympathetic looks from the Bots.

"Of course I wasn't the only Kryptonian left," Jack said, causing some of the bots and human to look at him confused. Jack elaborated. "Turns out a few did survive the planet's death. Of course, when they came to Earth they immediately held a gun to its head searching for me."

"Why?" the red femme asked.

"Because their leader, General Zod, believed I somehow knew how to restore our race. That's only partly true. I will eventually know how, using a device known as the codex, something that contained the genetic code of every unborn Kryptonian. He wanted it to turn Earth into a new Krypton," Jack said.

"Well, that's not too bad, right?" Amber asked. "I mean just a few more people to share Earth with right?"

Jack turned to her. "No, because Krypton's atmosphere is poisonous to humans. If he had succeeded, the human race and eventually the Cybertronians would have died out," Jack said.

"Why would we have died out?" Bulkhead asked.

"I agree," the large mech who bore resemblance to the old Optimus if the old Optimus had the Empire State building for shoulder pads. "I doubt this Zod could have wiped us out."

Jack turned to the mech. "Ultra Magnus right?" he asked and the mech nodded. "Right, well the entirety of Team Prime, minus Ratchet, went against two Kryptonians in Jasper. It ended with Bulkhead and Bumblebee covered in injuries, Optimus losing a servo, and Arcee nearly losing her leg and life!" his voice started to raise.

"You want to know how the two Kryptonians fared? They got away without a single scratch, just some damaged armor," Jack said curling his fists.

"So how did you defeat them?" Optimus asked.

Jack explained their plan, his role in it, and how, in the end, it had likely sent him to their dimension.

"So did it work?" Wheeljack asked.

Jack shrugged. "I think so. It's why I'm here. The only thing I'm worried about is that Zod tried following me through the bridge. If he made it here…" Jack left his sentence unfinished. he didn't need to explain what would happen if that man was here.

Jack finally turned to Optimus. "I've answered all your questions. Do you trust me now?"

The Prime looked at him warily before speaking. "It is obvious that your life, Jackson, has been very difficult from start to finish. Until we find a way to return you to your own dimension I offer our base as sanctuary,"

Jack smiled for the first time all day. "Thanks Optimus, I promise I won't let you down,"

"I am not the one you must prove yourself to," he said. "There is another you still owe an apology too,"

Jack's eyes widened as he remembered his near violent reaction to seeing the doppelganger and wondered where she had been this whole time. "Right, where is…June, I guess?" he said, unsure of himself.

The red femme smirked and walked forward. Jack raised an eyebrow, and his jaw practically dropped at what he saw next. The red femme's whole form seemed to blur and fade and, slowly, the figure of June Darby stood there.

Everyone snickered at Jack's hanging jaw, a nice change of pace for once, them startling him. "I-I…h-how?" he stuttered.

"My son, our Jack, is a Prime in this universe, and his legacy allows him to manipulate the races and forms of himself or anyone else he comes into contact with. I and his father can do this due to our relationship with him,"

Jack eyed her suspiciously before voicing his next question. "And who is…'my' father in this dimension?" Jack asked.

"That would be me," Optimus said as his own form shrank and changed to reveal a man in his early forties with black hair that appeared blue in certain light. He wore a red jacket over a black shirt with blue pants and black combat boots. He walked next to June and wrapped a loving arm around her waist.

Jack's eyes at this point looked about ready to pop out of his sockets. Everyone snickered as he tried finding his completely lost voice as he stared at the two in shock. Eventually, he managed to mumble out a few words.

"What was that?" June asked, cupping a hand to her ear and clearly enjoying this whole situation.

Jack repeated himself though his voice came out quiet. "Sorry for threatening you," he squeaked.

June smiled at him. "And you're forgiven," she said as she and Optimus returned to robot mode.

"Sure showed him Mom," Dusk mumbled with bright eyes.

Jack looked between the two with more shock. "Mom?" he asked, stunned.

"Well, not my real mom," Dusk amended. "June is my adoptive mom; just as Optimus is my adoptive dad."

Jack raised a brow at her. "Any other surprise siblings I should know about?" he asked.

"Well, Bumblebee is also Dad's adopted son," she said, earning another shocked look from Jack.

"That's… not the case in my universe. Heck, most of you I didn't even know about until today," he said. "The only organics in the base were Miko, Raf, and I along with my mom, but that was it," he explained.

"Consider that a gift and a curse," Ratchet mumbled, inciting a laugh from everyone.

After they finished a cough from Amber caught Jack's attention. "Okay, this has all been said and good, but I think we've been missing the important question here."

"And that is?" he asked.

"What's with the S!?" she asked loudly.

Jack let out a loud sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what's sad? You're the second person to comment on that." He let go of his nose and looked at her. "Okay it's not an S; it's my family crest. On Krypton it means hope." he paused briefly. "And yes, I know that here it is an S. Miko was quite obvious in pointing that out before I went out to fight the world engine."

"So why do you wear it then?" several humans asked.

"Because," Jack explained, "it's a gift from my dead father, _and _it helps amplify my powers. The belt also contains several subspace compartments for me to hold various items," Jack said, exasperated.

"Trust me, I don't wear it because it's the latest in fashion," Jack said. Amber just laughed at him before the sound of a sports car filled the base.

Everyone looked towards the entrance as a blue, silver and black Ferrari came into the Base.

The sleek sport's car's body broke apart, folding and twisting upwards, and within seconds, the graceful transformation was complete.

A mech that looked exactly like the Optimus Jack knew best was left in the car's place. His royal blue optics pierced angrily through the base, finally landing on Dusk. The mech walked over to her, completely oblivious to everyone but the girl on berth.

He kneeled down, gently touching the side of her head and turning it, revealing a nasty looking cut that bled blue.

And then he spoke. "Who did this?" he asked softly.

A swift flick of Dusk's eyes was all the mech needed. He straightened up to his full height and turned…facing Jack.

Jack was expecting some emotion of anger on the mech's silver faceplate, which he got. But he wasn't expecting the expression of shock.

"What is going on here?" the mech asked, looking at Optimus. "Is this some sort of Decepticon trick?"

"I am afraid not," Optimus replied calmly.

"Who are you?" the blue and silver mech demanded, getting level with Jack, "and don't lie."

"You first," Jack replied.

"Ultimus Prime, son of Optimus Prime and Elita One," the mech, Ultimus, growled, "but..."

The Prime's form blurred, shrinking and paling until a dark haired, pale skinned young man stood there, his bright royal blue eyes dimming to a deep stormy blue.

"You can call me Jack Darby," he said in a voice that matched Jack's own.

Jack smirked and leapt off the walkway, landing with a quiet thud in front of the teen. He extended his hand. "You can call me Kal-El, son of Jor-el and Lara Lor-Van." He smiled. "Also known as Jack Darby."

**A/N: Sweet, this chapter was so much FUN! I loved working with Elhini on this chapter and look forward to future chapters. Another thing to celebrate, I hit over 100,000 words! My first true milestone! WOO! Ugh moving on, the other perspective of the fic will be on Elhini's file if you're interested, and I'd recommend it. She will be posting it either later tonight or tomorrow. She does a great job with dialogue, and I could consider her stories similar to reading a show. Remember to review and critique and PM me with plot ideas or questions. Adios!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Jack Meet Jack

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack held his hand out in greeting still after he introduced himself. The entire base had descended into an incredibly tense atmosphere as if the bots were unsure of who would attack who first.

The other Jack, who was also known as Ultimus Prime looked from his outstretched hand to his face to his hand again, before scowling further "Why did you hurt my sister?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice.

Jack dropped his hand "To be fair, she attacked me first… With a sword," he said in defense.

Ultimus raised a brow at him in question "Okay, I may have said a few harsh words, but to be fair most of this," Jack said motioning to the base and bots "either doesn't exist or hasn't happened in my dimension,"

"Explain," Ultimus said "now!"

Jack raised his hands in defense "Okay, long story short, I'm you from another dimension got accidently sent here and freaked out when I saw through your mothers legacy," he said quickly. Jack did not want to worsen his situation anymore than he had.

"So you threatened my mother too!?" he demanded.

"It was all a big miscommunication, I didn't mean to hurt your sister or threaten Elita," he explained. Ultimus seemed to accept this answer though he still didn't seem very trusting of Jack.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't crush you under my foot," Ultimus growled his eyes flickering electric blue, and his form flickering slightly.

Jack rolled his eyes "You do and I'll break it," he retorted.

"Ha!" Ultimus snorted "I'd like to see you try,"

"Jack," Dusk warned from the berth "I wouldn't,"

"He hurt you!" Ultimus snarled, turning to face her, "And you…"

"STOP!" she shouted "Jack, I've put you flat on your back before. This guys beat the scrap out of Starscream with his own servo!"

Ultimus rolled his eyes and turned back to Jack "Amber took out Starscream's optics and his own arm in under three minutes," Ultimus stated, "I've taken on Draconus. This...intruder...doesn't frighten me," he proclaimed.

Jack shrugged "It's not the first time I've taken on the seeker, just glad he put up more of a fight this time. Really the cons have to stop underestimating me, Soundwave and Knockout learned that the hard way," he said calmly.

A cough interrupted the two's feuding and Jack turned to a fair skinned man with brown silvery hair and hazel eyes "Hi," he said "names Sean, and what did you mean by Soundwave and Knockout learned the hard way not to underestimate you?"

"Simple," Jack replied "Soundwave tried to kill me, Miko and Raf, I ripped his tendril off and broke his foot. Knockout kidnapped Vince, I ripped his door off and threw him into the canyon wall. He was a fast driver, but I run faster,"

Jack wasn't bragging, or at least didn't think he was. He was simply listing off what had happened, and that was what he'd done. Ultimus it seemed, didn't see that and began speaking to Optimus and Dusk in some sort of odd pitching and booming language. Jack winced ever so slightly at the words and phrases they used.

He wasn't sure what they were saying, but from the sound of their voices it was obvious they were in a heated argument. Optimus and Dusk glared at Ultimus and Dusk said something in a warning tone to her younger brother.

Jack noticed that Ultimus seemed to back down slightly but the fiery anger in his eyes was still burning. Jack had a feeling that his doppelganger wouldn't be trusting him anytime soon after what he'd done. Jack wouldn't blame him, if some guy had attacked his family without reason he'd be pretty suspicious of him too.

Jack was a bit confused by the whole exchange between the three and turned to the other humans "What exactly is going on?" he asked.

"They're… Talking," Sean said trying to ease the tension in the air.

"Talking," Jack said plainly.

Ben turned to him "They're making noises and they are interacting by what the other said," he growled at him "Of course they're talking,"

Jack raised a brow, not amused by the answer he'd gotten from Ben. He had a feeling that like Ultimus he didn't exactly trust him either, and it was obvious that he and Dusk were an… Item.

Jack winced slightly as the arguments tone's changed again. Now it felt like someone was stabbing his ears with pieces of glass, not a pleasant experience to be sure. Ultimus snorted and said something that caused Dusk's eyes to darken. Jack immediately felt himself tense, he remembered what happened last time the girls eyes were like that.

Dusk seemed to mumble something in a hurt disappointed tone so low Jack felt his bones shake from it. A guilty look passed over Ultimus's face as she finished, but Jack could only guess what she'd said to him.

"He's not like you," Ultimus said, speaking in English much to Jack's relief.

Though his statement added to his list of growing questions "What does he mean? Jack asked with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Dusk…" Amber started "Let's just say Kal… she's a lot like you,"

Jack raised a brow at her small explanation and use of his Kryptonian name "Just like you, Dusk isn't from our Universe either," she explained, "She's from one that mirrors this one. Everyone here, except for a few present, has what's been called a counterpart. Prime over there has one called _Tomosal Ivorra_, an _Ivorra_ is a Prime in Dusk's terms. _Tomosal_ is Dusk's great uncle."

"I'm still confused," Jack admitted " If she's from another dimension, like me, why is she here?" he asked.

"That's the thing," she replied with a shrug "They never really explained it to Ben or Sean or me. All I know is that both sides of her race want her. Badly. And they'll do anything to get her."

Jack was to say, the least a little shocked by this. He had to admit his empathy for Dusk had grown, they both shared similar tragedies in their lives. It also explained the sympathetic look he'd gained from her when he'd explained his origins.

Dusk and Jack were both two aliens from different worlds stranded without their true family. Jack just hoped Dusk was able to reunite with them. That was one benefit she had over him, her family might still be alive.

Jack winced as the three resumed their argument in their odd language. Jack turned to them and couldn't help but feel guilty for having started this. Since he'd shown up he'd caused nothing but trouble and right now this family was arguing intensely because of his presence.

Jack decided to step up and be the bigger man, and cleared his throat, amplifying it with his powers. The result was an echoing cough that caught everyone's attention, including Ultimus. The Prime turned to him with an annoyed look.

"What?" he growled.

Jack took in a deep breath " Look, Ultimus, I realize that you're angry with me and you have every right to be. If someone had attacked my family and showed up in what's basically my home with no remorse for what he'd done, I'd probably leave him on the moon," Jack paused for a moment allowing that to sink in.

"That said, I truly do feel terrible for what I said and did to your family. It was an immense overreaction on my part and will likely be added to the list of nightmares I suffer from. However, if you want me to leave, all you have to do is ask and I'll never bother you or your family again," Jack stopped and stood there waiting for an answer from the young Prime.

Ultimus appeared to be deep in thought over what Jack had said. He wasn't the only one, almost everyone in base it seemed was thinking over what Jack had just said to him. There was an almost tangible tension as everyone held waited for his verdict.

Ultimus sighed before speaking "Fine, you can stay," he said begrudgingly.

Jack perked up immediately and opened his mouth to speak when Ultimus interrupted him "But, if you ever threaten or harm my family again I will personally escort you out of here," he threatened in a tone that would have stopped a train in its tracks.

Jack just nodded "That's fair enough," he said.

With the issue finally solved, the tension in the room appeared to dissolve. Jack had a feeling the bots who saw what he could do were relieved he hadn't had to defend himself from their son, and the rest were simply glad the situation was diffused.

A sudden thought occurred to Jack and he turned to Optimus "Optimus, there wouldn't happen to be a changing room around here would there?" he asked. Jack didn't want to stay in his suit any longer than he had to now that it was over.

The large Prime nodded "There is a room on that platform," he answered pointing to a platform across the hangar roughly thirty feet above the ground.

"Thanks," Jack said and with minimal effort leapt from where he was standing onto the platform with a quiet thud, knees bent to absorb the impact. Jack smirked as he heard a small gasp of surprise from the others who hadn't seen him pull off any super human feats.

_'Odds are by the end of this week their going to be quiet shocked indeed,'_ Jack thought to himself as he slipped into the room. It was a small bathroom he realized with several stalls and urinals on one side and a row of sinks on the other. Tiles covered the floor and ceiling and several lights illuminated the area. There was also a small shower in the corner and Jack immediately went to it.

Over the past few days the boy had accumulated quite a bit of filth and dirt from his fights with the terrorcon to the invasion of Zod and his followers. That whole period he'd had no time to shower and was amazed that he didn't have a smell that caused people to drop dead from being around him.

Jack quickly stepped into the shower letting the lukewarm water clean the dust grime and blood off him from the past two days. The blood was his own from the gashes the terrorcon had left on his back. He ran a hand over the four gashes now just faint scars. Even with an accelerated healing factor the scars remained, and Jack had a feeling he'd add to them as time passed.

After his quick shower the teen dried off and looked over the "super suit" as he'd begun to dub it. He contemplated not putting it on and simply wearing his normal clothes hidden within his belt when upon closer examination he found it bore no signs of wear and still felt fresh.

Jack smiled _'Even Kryptonian clothes are built to last,' _he thought. He slipped it back on and watched as the sleeves, legs, and cape faded back into the suit. Once it finished he slipped his civilian clothes over it not noticing the extra weight. He wore his standard clothing, a grey long sleeve shirt with a darker grey t-shirt over it, with blue jeans and sneakers.

"Jeez," he said to himself as he examined himself in the mirror, "Without the suit I look almost exactly like Ultimus, even more so,"

At the thought of the young Prime Jack thought of everything else in this dimension. There were more bots more humans, and events that hadn't even occurred in his world had here. The weirdest thing though in his mind was the fact that Optimus was his father in this world. Jack always saw the Prime as a good father figure, but never as an actual replacement for his human father or Kryptonian father.

In his mind no one could replace either man, even if he never actually met Jor-El in person. Jack shook his head, such thoughts weren't necessary, there was a whole new base to explore with new people, and he was here mulling over inter-dimensional differences.

Jack turned and walked out of the room scanning the base when he did. He noticed that several of the bots, Elita and Optimus included where gone, though the humans and Dusk had migrated to their equivalent of a human living area. His look alike though was nowhere to be seen.

It was almost astonishing how similar it looked to the one in his own world. It had a ratty old couch sat in front of a somewhat larger TV with the standard game station hooked up to it. Jack cautiously approached the group, still aware of the hostility that Ben and Ultimus still showed towards him.

Amber heard him walking towards them and motioned him forward "Well look who's back!" Amber smiled as Jack walked towards the group "Hi, Kal," she said cheerily. Jack found the girls cheery attitude difficult not to get caught up in and felt his more somber attitude fade.

"I think you mean hi Kal and Jack," Sean said pointing to behind Kal. Kal turned and felt the cheery mood fade as Ultimus walked in at the same time… In the exact same attire.

"One of us is going to have to change," Jack said "and this is all I have,"

"It's not gonna be me," Ultimus stated "Besides, you have that spandex you were wearing earlier,"

Jack felt his face redden slightly at the mention of the suit he wore underneath his civilian clothing "What makes you think I'm going to be the one who changes?" he asked.

"You're the new guy," he said.

"So?" Jack started "You think…"

"If you boys don't knock it off," Elita threatened as she came up behind the two causing Jack to jump slightly. How had he not seen her earlier?

"I'll have Amber pick something for both of you," she said. Ultimus's eyes flashed in fear as if that was a horrible form of punishment. Jack had a feeling he wasn't far off.

"Th-that won't be necessary," he stuttered. Definitely a sign not to let the girl pick out your clothes.

"Are you saying I have bad taste?" Amber demanded, turning around to face him.

"Wha… No!" Ultimus said quickly as the girl glared at him.

Jack had to suppress a laugh at the situation "Jack I suggest you shut up now," Dusk said referring to Ultimus. She turned back around to watch the game Sean and Amber were playing.

Sean took advantage of the distraction provided and wrecked the car on the screen. Amber whirled around with a look of shock and anger on her face.

"SEAN!" she wailed as she wacked the boy upside the head.

"OW!" he yelled "What the bloody Pit was that for!?" he demanded earning another slap from Amber.

"Language!" she snapped. Jack smiled slightly at the girls need to keep the base of war torn machines a family friendly zone.

"…Now go get changed," Elita ordered the two.

The two looked at her with hesitation "Well?" she asked as Amber continued to reprimand Sean for cheating "Do I have to get Amber to get you _both_ new outfits?"

"NO!" the two shouted simultaneously.

"Good," she said smugly," Now go get changed,"

"Yes mom," Ultimus muttered.

"Yes Elita," Jack said in agreement. Something's never changed regardless of universe.

The two walked out of the area down a hall that Jack had once again failed to notice. He must be slipping, he always made sure he had all people and exits marked when he entered a new area.

"So I see we both have the same taste, huh?" Ultimus asked as they walked down the hall.

"I guess," Jack replied cautiously remembering the boy's threat from earlier.

"I'm not going to bite your head off," his doppelganger sighed shaking his head.

"Just a few hours ago it seemed like you wanted to take _more_ than just my head off," Jack replied

"When your family's in danger, something just seems to snap inside you," he explained " I'm sure you feel that way towards Mo…I mean, your June and everyone else you care about," he said.

Jack fell silent for a moment before responding "You are right in ways you don't understand. Even with all my strength all my abilities… I'm still not strong enough to _control _them,"

Ultimus gave him a confused look so he elaborated "I'm not sure if Dusk told you or not, but my list of powers is extensive, Miko even labeled me "Superboy" if you can believe it," he said.

"But, not abusing them keeping myself from hurting or even killing others takes self control, self control I'm afraid I don't have. With your sister, the moment I figured out this wasn't my dimension I was afraid I'd caused serious damage to her. Seeing she was okay lifted a serious weight off my shoulders," Jack said.

"I can understand that," Ultimus said "When I first found out I wasn't human, that I was the son of Optimus Prime… I just ran, I didn't, I couldn't accept that kind of responsibility. When I first changed to robot mode it terrified me, I felt like some sort of freak. I hid from my mom until Alpha Trion convinced me other wise and gave me my title," he explained, causing Jack to look at him confused.

"You didn't know you weren't human at first?" he asked.

"Well, no I didn't not till almost a year ago when mom told me. Up until that point I always thought I was human," he admitted.

"If only I was so lucky," Jack said.

The two came to a stop by a sliding door "This yours?" Jack asked.

"Yep," he replied as the door opened, and a mountain of fur and drool bowled him over.

A large pink tongue proceeded to bathe Ultimus as the young prime let out a laugh "Sirius!"

"Who?" Jack asked as he looked at the massive dog.

Ultimus eventually got the dog to get off him rather reluctantly "Sirius, he's Dusk's dog, he doesn't normally show himself very often, he's shy," he explained.

"He didn't seem very shy a moment ago," Jack said as the dog began sniffing him.

"That's just how he greets people he likes, I almost never see him in the main base. At least he seems to be taking a liking to you," Ultimus said.

"Animals tend to do that, not sure why," Jack said as he began scratching the dog behind his ears.

The large dog's tail lashed back and forth as he scratched and the dog suddenly stood on his hind legs and gave the Kryptonian a big lick. Jack let out a laugh and gently eased the dog off him.

"Alright let's get this over with now, "Ultimus mumbled walking into his room, Sirius at his heels.

"Don't get why it's that big a deal, I'm taller and bigger than you," Jack said as he followed him.

"You're not that much taller than me," Ultimus said searching through a drawer.

"I'm six feet tall, how tall are you?" Jack asked standing against the door frame. He wasn't exactly going to search through his counterparts room. Last thing he needed was to stumble onto something he shouldn't.

"Almost six feet," he mumbled too quietly for a human to hear. Jack heard it though and tried to suppress a chuckle and failing. Ultimus gave him an annoyed look and tossed a blue long sleeved shirt at the teen.

"Shut up and change," he ordered walking into a separate room.

Jack shrugged and peeled the outer and inner layers of his shirts off putting them in the red belt he wore around his waist. He pulled the shirt on and found that it was plenty long if just a tad tight.

_'Could be worse,' _he thought to himself _'I could be wearing something far worse, or be stuck in my super suit the whole time,'_ he shuddered at the thought of being stuck in it.

Ultimus emerged from the other room wearing a grey t-shirt exposing his arms one of which bore scarring on it "Come on," he said motioning for the teen to follow "we need to get back for Dusk thinks I tried to kill you," he said.

Jack snorted and followed though he couldn't help but notice the scars on his arm. They seemed random at first glance, but the more he looked at them, the more he started to notice a pattern to them.

Ultimus noticed his not so subtle glances and let out a sigh "You know you could ask instead of just staring,"

Jack rubbed his head sheepishly "Sorry, didn't mean to stare, but who did that to you?" he asked

Ultimus shrugged "No one, I was born with them they mark me as the son of a Prime, it's why I always wore long sleeves. Why do you wear them," he asked.

"Because the last time I wore anything that exposed my arms half the girls at school wouldn't stop staring at me," he said. Ultimus raised a brow.

Jack let out a sigh "According to them I'm well toned though I've never noticed. Miko was the worst though, when I was captured by the cons…"

"Wait you were caught by the cons?" Ultimus asked interrupting him.

"Yeah, I went with Fowler when he caught Bulkhead with us so he wouldn't take Miko and Raf, and well the con's came after us," Jack explained as he remembered how he was forced to surrender.

"But weren't you just bragging about how you took out Soundwave and Knockout a moment ago?" he asked with a hint of disdain.

"Fowler was with me unconscious, it was either fight a good dozen cons without knowing if I even could and risk him, or surrender and free him later. Anyway, Starscream spent a good half-hour _trying _to torture me with no luck. When I escaped though I lost my shirt to a con and Miko wouldn't stop staring at me!" he exclaimed. Ultimus seemed to find this funny and started laughing at him.

Jack shook his head as the two walked out back into the main foyer, Ultimus still chuckling at the story.

"Hey Jack, what's so funny?" Miko asked from the living area.

Ultimus shook his head "Oh nothing Miko, nothing at all," he chuckled and the girl gave him an odd look before returning to watching the game between Amber and Sean.

"Well at least we can tell you two apart now," Elita said in relief.

Suddenly Amber let out a whoop of victory while Sean stared at the screen dumbfounded "H-How did you beat me!?" he exclaimed.

Amber just smiled mischievously "It's what you get for cheating earlier consider it Karma,"

"Whatever," Sean said tossing the controller on the table in front of him.

"Alright, who's my next victi- I mean challenger?" Amber asked looking at the various bots and humans assembled before setting her gaze on Jack.

"Hey Kal, how about it, you and I?" she asked eagerly.

Jack shook his head "I appreciate the gesture Amber, but I don't really enjoy video games," he said.

Every human and Ultimus stared at him like he'd grown a second head "You're kidding?" several said in disbelief.

"Why would I be kidding?" he said with a shrug.

"How can you not like video games?" Amber asked.

"Two reasons," Jack explained "First is that I can do most of what you see on screen so I don't find much fun in that, secondly they tend to overload my senses,"

"What do you mean overload your senses?" Dusk asked.

"Remember how I said I have super hearing and enhanced sight?" he asked, to which Dusk nodded "Well I normally keep myself from overloading from them, but video games can catch me off guard and it can be downright painful for me to play them," he said.

He earned a sympathetic look from Dusk before it looked like an idea crossed her mind. Jack ignored it and walked off to watch Amber and Ben begin a race. It seemed like at first Amber would win, when Ben started covering her eyes with his hand. Jack laughed to himself, most of these people were full grown adults that acted like children.

Ben let out a yelp when Amber bit his hand eliciting a laugh from the assembled humans.

"Tone it down!" Ratchet ordered from the terminal.

"Jeez Hatchet, ne need to yell," Amber said innocently. Wait, Hatchet? Jack held back another laugh, how had he not come up with that nickname for his universes Ratchet?

"Besides what are you even working on?" Sean asked as he leaned on the rail.

Ratchet, or Hatchet let out a sigh "If you must know, I have been getting an odd signal lately and have been trying to clear it up for the past few minutes," He explained.

Jack immediately perked up at the mention of a signal "Exactly what kind of signal?" he asked careful to hide his hopeful curiosity.

"That's the strange part, it bears resemblance to the old signal's frequency we once used back at Outpost Omega," he explained.

"Hold on," Dusk said walking up to the edge of the platform "Didn't Kal say that his bots are still based in Outpost Omega?" she asked.

"I did," Jack confirmed.

"So they must be trying to contact you!" she exclaimed

Jacks face lit up in a smile as he thought of returning home, free from the fear of Zod or hiding his secret. Ratchet of course, had to dash those hopes "Sadly there is too much interference for them to make contact with us. Unless I had a device that transmitted on the same frequency it could take days or weeks to make contact," Ratchet said.

"Buzz kill," Dusk muttered under her breath.

"Wait," Jack said "would a human communication device work?" he asked this time the hopefulness obvious in his voice. He wanted to see his own friends and universe, and he wanted to talk to Arcee too about many things.

"Jeez Kal, you got a girl waiting for you back home or something?" Ben joked.

Jack rubbed the back of his head "You could say that…" he answered nervously. Last thing he needed to do was expose his possible relationship with Arcee to this group, no telling how they'd react.

"Dude spill!" Miko said "I bet it's Sierra, it's Sierra isn't it?" she asked excitedly.

"What!?" he yelled "No, oh god no, that girls more trouble than she's worth,"

"Then who!?" she asked again.

"That's… Private," he said and turned quickly to Ratchet before she could ask another question.

"So would it work or not?" Jack asked.

"If you had such a device yes it would," Ratchet answered.

Jack lifted his shirt slightly and reached into one of his belts subspace pockets, pulling out the device he'd used to talk with Ratchet during his fight against the World Engine. The medic held out his large servo, and Jack placed the delicate device in his hands. Moving with the skill and precision that only a doctor had, Ratchet quickly connected the device to his terminal.

He played the signal for all to hear and static blared into the air. Everyone clamped their hands over their ears or audio receptors at the noise "Do you think you could turn it down Doc!?" Wheeljack asked.

"Unfortunately not, however the signal should become quieter the more it clears!" he predicted.

Slowly the medic's prediction proved true as the static and noise lessoned until the familiar voice of Ratchet could be heard, albeit very distorted "_I Repeat Jackson do you read? Please Respond"_ the medic pleaded over the comm. his voice showing what almost sounded like concern.

At the sound of the doctor's voice Jack practically disappeared flying up to the terminal in haste floating next to the other Ratchet "Gwah! Don't do that!" he ordered.

"Sorry," he responded before turning to the terminal.

"Ratchet, it's Jack I read you," he said calmly.

_"Oh thank the All Spark, we've been trying to contact you for over a week with no luck. June and Arcee have been worried sick,"_ The medic said.

"I can imagine," Jack mumbled before the words fully sank in "Wait, did you say a week?"

_"Yes, we've figured out a basic way to get to you, but would be unable to get back without confirming your condition. Why do you ask?" _Ratchet sounded confused by Jacks question.

"I've only been here for a few hours," Jack responded "I'm in a parallel dimension but different from the shadow zone. There's another Team Prime here and it's been…" he paused searching for the word to describe his predicament "different. Anyway, how long till you can get me home?" he asked.

_"Unfortunately there is no way to get you home Jack,"_ the medic responded.

"WHAT!?" Jack yelled with such force several lights shattered in the base and he winced.

_"Jack allow me to explain, there is no way for _us _to bring you back, however since you are apparently with another team we can send several of our own to help them make the proper modifications to the ground bridge to allow_ _inter-dimensional travel," _Ratchet said all this hurriedly trying to calm the angry Kryptonian teen.

Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm himself "Why can't you just let me come through the portal home?" he asked.

_"It only works one way,"_ Ratchet said.

"Won't sending someone over weaken team Prime though?" Jack asked not wanting to worsen their stance against the cons.

"_The Decepticons have been oddly quiet since Zod's forces faded. The government announcement of our existence had made their ability to stay hidden difficult at best,"_ Ratchet explained. The others looked around in astonishment at the fact that Jack's universe had announced the existence of the bots.

"Okay so how long then?" Jack asked.

_"We should be able to send them to your location tomorrow at roughly noon through your ground bridge as we latched onto the signal roughly three days ago," _Ratchet explained_ "Until then wait patiently and we should be able to bring you home safely,"_

"I'll see you then Ratchet," Jack said.

_"Of course Jackson," _there was a pause _"it's good to see your still alive,"_ and the transmission cut off.

Jack turned to the assembled group with a small smile "I guess you'll get to meet _my _family," he said.

**A/N: Well this took longer than expected. To all those wondering why this took so long… Blame me, that friend I warned you guys about a week ago finally came for a visit and since then I wasn't able to work on the story on Sunday or most of Monday. Despite this it was still a lot of fun to write and I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'm actually going to be busy this week so the story's uploading will be rather sporadic. Sorry. Anyway Review with critique and PM me and Elhini for plot questions or ideas. Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Meeting the Family

_Autobot HQ, late at night…_

Jack gasped as he woke from his nightmare, the same one as before. He let out a groan as he rested his head in his hands. Why did Zod continue to haunt him even after he'd beaten him? It seemed that the dictator would continue to plague his nightmares for years to come and Jack would never see peace.

Jack looked around after calming himself as memories of the events returned. He was sleeping on the couch in the main area of the base since the human living quarters were…sparse to say the least. The whole base was nearly silent, all the Bots and humans asleep and in recharge.

Jack contemplated trying to fall back to sleep, but one look at the clock showed him it would be pointless. It was 1 o'clock in the morning, and by the time he fell back to sleep everyone else would probably wake up. Sighing to himself, Jack got up and made his way down the stairs, opting not to jump off the platform for once.

Jack began wandering through the base, easily seeing through the darkness as he made his way to the training room. After his Ratchet had made contact with him, he'd been given an official tour of the base and knew the layout fairly well. He was eager to head to the training room. It would be the only thing to keep his mind off the nightmares and pass the time 'til the others arrived.

Jack would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't eager to see Arcee again, though having found out she was his aunt in this universe made him even more determined for these Autobots not to find out about their possible relationship. He shuddered to think how Ultimus might react.

True, his counterpart had grown less hostile over time, but he was still not exactly his best friend right now either. Mostly the two were wary of each other and kept a healthy distance from each other. The way Jack saw it; as long as he didn't threaten anyone in his family he'd be fine.

Jack finally entered the training room. It was a large, relatively empty room with a section walled off for the hologram training and another area with a large ring for sparring between actual opponents. Jack entered the holo-room and looked over the various training levels. He decided to go with one of the lower ones set to hand to hand.

He wasn't sure how difficult each level was so he figured that starting off with something simple and easy would be best. A simple faceless figure appeared in the room and struck a fighting pose, circling Jack. Jack took a similar pose, a simple position that left him balanced and ready to strike.

The figure suddenly charged at Jack, but he easily sidestepped it and with a quick chop to the back of the neck, the hologram fizzled out.

"Well that was underwhelming," Jack said to himself. He looked to the computer again and decided to ramp up the levels. If the programs were that simple, he'd have to ramp it up even higher to get a challenge.

He was scrolling through them when one of them caught his eye, a difficulty level named Draconus. _'Wonder who that is?'_ he thought. Shrugging, he activated the program and the figure materialized again.

This time the figure immediately charged at Jack, not even bothering to circle him. Jack sidestepped, only for the hologram to clothesline him, or at least attempt to. The fist bounced off his face and Jack grabbed the arm, twisting it until the figure fell to the ground. With a quick flick, the holographic form broke and dissolved.

Jack sighed. That was a little more challenging, but it was obvious the program wasn't created with super powered teens in mind. He checked over the list again and changed the number of enemies that would spawn. Instead of one on one, he decided to see how he would handle 20 to one.

20 of the figures materialized and attacked him. _'That's more like it!'_he thought to himself. Two figures ran up to him one attempting to hit his head while the other aimed for his midsection. Falling back, Jack dodged the two attacks while rolling onto his back before shooting forward, kicking both forms in the chest. The two dematerialized, leaving the rest of the group to fight.

The rest of the group swarmed him, and Jack began weaving and dodging each blow effortlessly. He ducked under one punch and grabbed the arm, flinging the hologram onto another's head, and the two exploded into holograms.

He began flowing from figure to figure, delivering one or two punch combos that shattered the holograms like so many bits of glass. Two figures tried punching his head on either side, but Jack just grabbed the arms, twisted them, and shot his fists through either one's head.

He waited for another attack, when he realized he'd decimated the entire group and was left standing alone in the room. He'd hardly even broken a sweat fighting the holograms.

A low whistle echoed through the room, and Jack turned to see Dusk standing at the training room entrance. "Impressive," she said, "but your footwork could use a little work,"

Jack rubbed his head sheepishly as the girl walked in. "What are you doing up?" he asked.

"Probably same as you," she replied. "Nightmares, couldn't sleep,"

Jack looked at her with a small face of shock. "Yeah, after I found who I was I thought the nightmares would go away." He hung his head. "Turns out they just got worse," he said sadly.

Dusk nodded sympathetically. "I'm no strangers to nightmares. It's practically a requirement for being a Prime. Even Optimus has them,"

That got Jack's attention, and he looked at her incredulously. "Really? Optimus has nightmares?" he asked.

She nodded. "We all do: me, Optimus, and even Jack or Ultimus," she explained. Jack could say he honestly wasn't expecting that. Optimus always seemed so calm and unshakable that something as trivial as nightmares seemed like they couldn't touch him. Knowing he suffered from him made him seem more…human.

"What exactly are your nightmares about?" she asked cautiously.

Jack turned his head away in shame before speaking. "They aren't the same, not anymore. It used to be the same nightmare night after night. Now though, it's changed," he said.

"How?"

Jack looked at her. "I used to have nightmares where I was haunted by the three men I killed in rage," he said. Dusk looked a little taken back by his answer.

Jack quickly explained. "I didn't mean to kill them. It's just…I was disoriented and they were going to _kill_ Raf and Miko so I guess instinct just took over." Jack tilted his head away in shame. "It haunted me for weeks, but now I honestly think this nightmare is worse," he admitted.

"Worse how?" Dusk asked.

Jack mulled over her question, deciding whether or not he should tell her about his newer dream. After a moment of internal debate he answered. "Remember Zod?" he asked, to which she nodded.

"He's there with a person I…care for in his grasp and is taunting me, threatening to kill her if I don't give him the Codex. Problem is I don't know where it is so it ends with him…killing her, and I can only watch," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

Dusk gave the teen a sympathetic look before an idea popped into her head. "I think I know what might help get your mind off of the nightmares," she said.

"Oh?" Jack asked, intrigued by this possible magical cure for his ailment.

Dusk walked into the sparring circle. "How about a little sparring?" she asked.

Jack looked at her worriedly, very reluctant to spar with her, especially after what he did to her. She seemed to pick on this and rolled her eyes. "I'm not that delicate Kal. It's fine,"

Jack let out a sigh. "Okay, but I'm just going to tell you now: I have to hold back. If I used my full strength, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't end well for you," he said. It could have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw her eye twitch slightly before she nodded.

"Fair enough," she mumbled.

Jack walked into the circle somewhat reluctantly and took up a fighting stance. "You're not going to use a weapon?" she asked.

The teen shrugged. "I've never had a need for one before; my whole body is basically a weapon,"

Dusk gave him a look before she walked to a rack and tossed a sword to him. Jack's hand shot out, and he caught it with one hand. It felt incredible, even for him, and was clearly designed for practice fights.

"I want some kind of challenge," she said, "and I have a feeling your sword play is minimum,"

"If by minimum you mean non-existent, then yeah," Jack said, taking a pose similar to her own.

Dusk and Jack began circling each other, Dusk resting lightly on her feet, Jack appearing glued to the floor, though that didn't mean he would be slow. Far from it.

Jack watched Dusk for an opening while she appeared to do the same as well. Suddenly, the girl twirled her blades at Jack, who only just managed to parry the blows. They continued this dance for several seconds with Dusk delivering blow after blow with her blades. Jack had to admit fighting someone human sized with Cybertronian speed and reflexes was a pretty big challenge and started letting some of his own power trickle through.

He parried another blow, spotting a momentary weakness and started his own offensive. His blows rained down on her but she dodged, parried, or blocked each blow. The two locked blades and held in place for a moment before Jack began pushing her back. With a sudden shove Jack broke the interlock of the blades and jumped back, doing a graceful back flip landing legs splayed.

They resumed their dance, their blows becoming faster and stronger. Jack started to notice his own blade was chipping from the repeated blows and realized he needed to end this before his blade broke and he lost from default. It was then Jack noticed a pattern to his opponent's attack.

It almost seemed to be following a musical pattern, striking and moving in a musical sync. It was like she was dancing as she fought. Jack used this to his advantage and allowed her to continue her attack, searching for the right moment. He noticed her pause before continuing and lashed out, using the guard of his sword to twist one of her swords out of her hand, flinging it into the air.

The winged girl leapt up to grab it, but Jack was faster, flying above her and grabbing the sword. Landing behind her, he swept his legs out, knocking her to the ground with both swords crossed over her neck. Both fighters paused, panting heavily from their fight

Dusk almost seemed shocked by this turn of events and eyed Jack warily. Jack smiled. "I win," he said before handing her sword back to her.

He held out a hand to help her up and a smile crossed her face. She reached out for his hand before she quickly flipped him over with her knee on his throat. "You only win when I say you win," she said.

"Got it," Jack squeaked. The girl smiled and got off him, helping him to his feet.

"What. Is. Going. On. Here!?" A voice demanded from the entrance of the training room. Jack turned to see Ultimus standing at the entrance of the training room, an angry look on his face.

"Um, hi, Jack," Dusk muttered as her face started to turn red.

Ultimus glared at Jack angrily, and Jack suddenly felt very small. "You were fighting her, weren't you!?" he asked angrily. "WEREN'T YOU!" he screamed, and Jack flinched.

"Jack!" Dusk pleaded. "It was my idea! Don't…"

"Don't what!?" he snapped, causing the girl to freeze. Something told Jack this was a first for the two.

"Dusk, you know you can't exert yourself, not like this!" he growled with just a hint of concern.

"And who are you to keep me from it, huh?" Dusk demanded, "baby brother?"

Ultimus's eyes flashed, and Kal suddenly felt like he shouldn't be here and was about to make an excuse to leave when his counterpart spoke. "Why do you insist on pushing yourself?" he asked, the anger fading slightly. "Do you want to die sooner than you…"

"JACK!" Dusk shouted at her brother, but too late.

Jack looked from Dusk to Ultimus in confusion. "Ultimus, what do you mean 'die sooner'?" he asked.

Ultimus looked at Dusk with a genuine confused expression on his face. "You didn't tell him…did you?" he asked. Now Jack was really confused. Tell him what?

"I didn't think it was relevant," she muttered.

"Tell me what?" Jack asked, slightly sick of being left in the dark.

Ultimus turned to him. "She's dying," he stated sadly.

Jack's eyes widened in horror. She was dying and she wanted to fight him? Jack turned to her. "You wanted me to fight with you," he started, a feeling of betrayal and sadness clear in his tone.

Dusk glared at her brother. "Thanks for nothing," she growled, shoving past the two. "You just told the one person who wasn't treating me like a glass doll the one thing that's keeping me from living!" And like that she was gone, leaving the two alone in the room in awkward silence.

Jack turned to his counterpart. "Why is she dying?" he asked with concern.

"It's some sort of prophecy. Her spark is building up power and will eventually restore her world, Cybres. That's why the factions want her so bad," Ultimus explained.

"Do the others know about this?" Jack asked.

"A few, and since I found out…" Ultimus started.

"You've become overprotective over her," Jack finished.

Ultimus turned to him angrily. "She's dying. I don't want her exerting herself and speeding the process."

"But is that what she wants?" Jack asked.

Ultimus eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"Dusk doesn't seem to want you babying her like that, and I can understand where she's coming from. Don't you think she'd want to enjoy her last days instead of being treated like she's dying?" Jack asked.

"But she is!" Ultimus protested angrily.

"And if you were dying would you want someone constantly reminding you that one day you were going to die?" Jack retorted.

"I..." Ultimus wasn't sure what to say. "I just don't want to lose her; she's family."

"Trust me," Jack said as he walked out of the training room. "If she's doomed to die, you'll want your last memories of her being pleasant ones, not constant worry. The loss will be easier,"

"Like you know anything about loss," Ultimus growled.

Jack stopped with his hand on the door. "What...did...you say?" he snarled. The door way cracked as he unintentionally applied pressure to it.

"You heard me," the Prime responded.

Jack slowly turned to face his doppelganger, his eyes glowing a dangerous red. "You _really_don't know anything about me do you?" he stated his voice an eerie calm.

"Not much to know. You're an alien me from another dimension with a short temper," he sneered.

Jack glared at him. He wanted to cave his face in to knock him across the room, do _anything_ to make him pay for what he just said, but it wasn't worth it. He promised to behave, and he would.

"Not worth it," he mumbled and turned, walking out of the room before Ultimus could say another word.

Jack walked down the hallways, trying to get as far from his counterpart as possible. In his hindsight, he handled that last situation poorly. If anything, he just made things worse between himself and his counterpart. Though really, he'd started it. All Jack had been doing was sparring with Dusk, not trying to hurt her. A little practice wouldn't kill her would it?

Jack came to a stop as he realized he'd wound up in the main area of the base, though there was still no sign of anyone. He scanned the empty area to confirm this when he heard the sound of a shoe scraping on metal. Not from the side or platforms, but the rafters. Only one person could reach up there beside him and stay there.

He looked in the direction of the sound, and, sure enough, Dusk was sitting in the rafters, resting against a support beam. Jack let out a sigh. It was best he confront the girl about her "condition" now than later. Moving relatively silently, Jack flew up to the rafter across from her and stood atop it, resting against the beam. Dusk had her iPod in her ears, eyes closed and listening to a song of sorts.

"Enjoying your song?" he asked, causing the girl to jump.

"Kal don't do that; almost gave me a spark attack!" she exclaimed.

Jack chuckled before his face took a more serious tone. "I assume you know why I'm here?" he asked.

"You're going to lecture and tell me I shouldn't be sparring because of my spark," she answered.

"Only half-true," Jack said.

Dusk gave him a confused look, and Jack stood straight, walking across the air so he didn't have to talk to her from across the beam. "Show-off," she muttered.

Jack rolled his eyes before speaking. "Firstly Dusk, I don't think your brother is right in how he's handling the situation," Jack stated.

Dusk raised a brow at him, and he explained. "I don't think people with...a time limit should be treated like their fragile," he explained and understanding dawned on her face. "I think that people should always keep in mind that a person is unwell, but they shouldn't be constantly reminding them of that fact. Something tells me that's what gets on your nerves the most," he said.

"Well, you are right," she replied after a moment's pause. "I don't like being reminded of that all the time. The worst part is that everyone treats me like a china doll, and all it does is make me mad. I am more than capable of handling myself." She paused, trying to gauge Jack's reaction. He kept his face blank, waiting for her to continue. "Now that you know, I'm guessing you're going to do the same thing?" she asked in a depressed tone.

Jack let out a small sigh. "No, I'm not Dusk," he said plainly.

That seemed to genuinely shock her. "You're not?" she asked with a hint of suspicion.

"Well," Jack started. "I was already treating you like a glass doll before I found out, so I figured that if I kept doing that I'd be fine," he said.

"Wait; you were going easy on me!?" she exclaimed.

Jack laughed. "I did warn you, didn't I?" he said plainly. "Point is, if you're ever interested in sparring or just interacting with someone who _won't_ treat you like glass, I'm here. Besides, I've been in need of a sparring partner who could match me in speed," he said with a smile.

Dusk looked at him suspiciously before wrapping the teen in a hug. Jack gasped in surprise at the gesture. "Thanks," she murmured.

"N-No problem," he stuttered, uncomfortable with the slight physical contact.

Jack let out a sudden yawn. "Maybe we should try getting some sleep now," he said.

Dusk nodded and stood up. Stretching her wings, she lightly descended to the ground before Jack used a far more crude method and just dropped to the platform below with a thud.

"Good night," Dusk called as she walked down the hall.

"Night," he replied and crawled back onto the couch. He didn't expect to fall asleep any time soon, but within moments he'd fallen into a far more peaceful slumber.

_Later that morning..._

Jack lay asleep on the couch, enjoying a nightmare free sleep for once. This was not to be though, as two shadowy figures flitted across the ground, unaware of the sleeping Kryptonian teen.

The two came to a stop and began setting up their equipment. One plugged a guitar cord into an amplifier, while the other twirled their drumsticks in anticipation.

"Song number 7?" the drummer asked.

"Sounds perfect," the other accomplice said. "And a one, and a two, and a…"

A loud note screeched from the amplifier, quickly accompanied by the incessant banging of guitar drums.

Jacks eyes snapped open and with a yell, he rolled off the couch, grabbing his ears in pain. He looked down the stairwell at the two rockers angrily, trying to concentrate and bring his senses down. Jack tried yelling at the girls, but it was no use. He was too far, and the music was too loud. All he could do was lie on the ground, curled into a ball and trying to not whimper in pain.

Suddenly the music cut off, and the base descended into peaceful silence. Jack silently thanked whoever stopped them from continuing their racket.

He felt the sudden presence of someone on the platform with him and rolled over to see Dusk looking over him with concern.

"You okay?" she asked.

He just nodded at her, and she held out a hand to help him up. He grabbed hold and was hoisted up. "Thanks," he said weakly, still reeling from the experience.

"Don't worry about it," Dusk shrugged. "We've all gone through that. Me and Ja-Ultimus, anyway. The Thirteen and the Seven have a sense of humor. Giving us super hearing…in a base with two hard core rockers who don't care that other people in the base are trying to sleep!" she said her voice growing louder at the end

"Aw, c'mon!" Miko whined.

"You just can't handle the raw power of rock!" Amber snorted.

Jack just shook his head and looked at the clock on the table. It was 7 o'clock.

"Five more hours," he murmured to himself.

_Autobot HQ, Jack's universe..._

Ratchet smiled to himself as he finished the final touches on the modifications to the bridge. He looked at his timer and saw that he'd finished them several hours ahead of time. It was only 8 o'clock, four hours ahead of time.

"Optimus!" he called.

"What is it, old friend?" he asked as he strolled to the medic's location under the bridge.

"I've finished several hours ahead of time. We can send the ground team now if they're ready," he said as he climbed out from under the bridge.

Optimus nodded. "I shall alert them. In the mean time, contact Jackson and inform him and the base itself of the team's imminent arrival," he ordered

Ratchet smiled to himself. "Will do Optimus," he said and walked to the terminal.

"This is Ratchet to Autobot Base Beta, I repeat Ratchet to Autobot base Beta, do you copy?"

_Autobot Base, alternate universe..._

Jack stood on the platform with the humans as far from Ultimus as he could get without making things awkward. Since Amber and Miko's little fiasco over an hour ago, the Bots and remaining humans had slowly filed into the main area of the base. Less than Five minutes after the last human had filed in, Amber had singled out her next victim: Raf, who was currently beating her at her own game

Jack chuckled as the girl let out a groan of anger as she lost to Raf for the 4th time. "Best Seven out of Eleven!" she said, and Raf shrugged, starting the game up again. Jack laughed to himself. Another universal rule, it seemed, was that Raf dominated.

Suddenly, a loud beep from the console caught everyone's attention. "_This is Ratchet to Autobot Base Beta, I repeat Ratchet to Autobot base Beta, do you copy?_" came Ratchet's voice from the speakers. Jack immediately whipped his head to the terminal. Why was he contacting now? He wasn't supposed to be ready 'til noon he said.

"This is Autobot Base Beta," the other Ratchet answered. "Go ahead,"

_"Is Jack there?"_ The other medic asked.

"Which one does he want," Ultimus muttered, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Dusk and a glare from Jack.

Jack disappeared and reappeared next to the medic's shoulder, earning another surprised yelp from him.

"I'm here Ratchet," he said. "What's going on?"

"We've finished calibrating the Ground bridge," the other Ratchet stated proudly. "If the Autobots at the base you are at are currently ready, we can come over within the hour."

Jack's eyes lit up with excitement, and a large smile swept across his face. He looked eagerly from Ratchet to Optimus.

Optimus quickly looked over the base before turning to Jack. "I believe we are ready." he said before speaking to the terminal directly. "Outpost Omega, you are clear for departure."

_"Understood. The portal should be opening at your ground bridge momentarily,"_Ratchet said, and the line went silent.

Jack quickly flew to the front of the ground bridge portal and landed in front of it. Unlike the bridge in his universe, theirs only consisted of a single ring against a wall, though it seemed to work just as well as his own. A sudden spark of electricity arched across the diameter of the ring. Then another and another, until electricity began constantly arching across the ring. Jack and the others took a step back as electricity began arching out of the portal, and, slowly, a glowing white tear began to appear in the center of the ring. It slowly grew larger and larger until its circumference matched the ring itself, and the portal stopped.

Unlike the ground bridge portal, this one appeared far less stable, occasionally losing its circular shape and wavering. It was a bright, glowing white with blue-green streaks in, the waves and an odd droning noise emitted from it. All in all, it was both awe-inspiring and terrifying to look at.

Despite this, Jack stood in front of the portal, eagerly awaiting the arrival of even one or two of his friends. The first to walk through was someone he was not expecting.

"Mom!?" he asked in amazement as June Darby walked through the portal. His amazement quickly passed as he rushed to his mother and embraced her. "Mom!"

"Jack!" she answered, happily embracing her son. "Oh, I was so worried about you," she said, lightly stroking his hair.

"I missed you too," he said as he pulled away. "But what exactly are you doing here?" he asked.

June gave him a sarcastic look. "What? I can't travel across dimensions to see if my own son is safe?" she asked.

"I... no, I just thought the Bots would need more help to get the bridge modified," he admitted while rubbing the back of his head, a habit he really needed to break.

"Actually it's just a one man job. The rest of us are backup," a very familiar feminine voice said.

Jack looked past his mom and felt his heart skip a beat as his guardian kneeled behind her with a smile on her face. "Arcee!" he exclaimed gleefully. It seemed that today was a day for happy reunions.

Jack rushed to her and the two hugged as well, or as close as they could given the size difference. "I missed you," she whispered for only the two of them to hear.

"So did I," he whispered back. "If you still want to talk…" he started.

"Later, there's still one more Bot," Arcee said as she stood out of the portal's path.

The final bot walked through the portal, and Jack was shocked to say the least. "Hey kid, how's it going?" Wheeljack asked as he exited the portal.

"Oh Primus, there's two of them," Ultra Magnus muttered.

Jack ignored him and looked at the Wrecker with surprise. "Wheeljack, what are you doing here? I thought you were out exploring the galaxy?" he asked.

"I was," he stated. "Decided to come back for a surprise visit; see if you kept your promise of telling the others about you. When I found out you were gone, well, I volunteered to help bring you home." the mech smiled. "After all, us Wreckers have to stick together," he said.

"Wait; he's a Wrecker?" Ultimus asked from the platform.

Arcee, June, and Wheeljack looked at his duplicate in brief shock. "Alternate universe, remember?" he said.

The three shook themselves. "Right," they said simultaneously.

"So is he..." June started.

"Kryptonian, no," Ultimus said.

"I'm a bit different." With that, he jumped from the platform and assumed his robot mode in front of the three. June and Arcee looked shocked by the change and his remarkable resemblance to their Optimus, while Wheeljack raised a brow.

"Neat trick, any chance we can know your full name?" Wheeljack said nonchalantly.

Ultimus smiled. "Ultimus Prime, son of Optimus Prime and Elita-1," he said rather proudly.

There was a loud sparking noise, and everyone turned to see Jack's Arcee spark and fall backwards, Wheeljack catching her. "Is she okay!?" Jack asked with worry.

"She's fine," Wheeljack said. "Just glitched out." Jack let out a sigh of relief.

"Any particular reason why?" Jack asked.

"The idea of her being your aunt probably shocked her," Elita said and assumed her own robot mode. Now it was June's turn to almost faint.

Jack caught her, and she let out a sigh. "Well this..." she said, motioning to the group, "is certainly a shock,"

This, overall, was a shock for Jack too. Now he had a bigger reason to not tell the Bots here about their possible relationship.

There was a sudden whirring sound, and he looked to see Arcee coming back online. Her optics flickered back online, and she looked at the group in shock. "So in this universe...I'm Jack's...aunt?" she asked.

"Technically yes," the other Arcee said. "Trust me, I was just as shocked as you were when I found out,"

With that said, the two groups began exchanging stories, explaining how Ultimus could do what he could and how it affected Optimus and Elita-1. June and Arcee both seemed shocked but eventually accepted it. Wheeljack immediately began chatting with his own counterpart as well as Bulkhead, and they exchanged stories and comparisons between their different universes.

Several minutes passed, and then Wheeljack revealed that he was actually the one in charge of making the necessary changes and, due to the weaker tech, it would take roughly a week for the modifications to be finished. Jack was willing to wait. As long as his mother and Arcee were here, he could hold out.

As the conversation shifted from Arcee June, Jack and Arcee took the opportunity to slip out of the base, believing themselves to be unnoticed. The two slipped out into the military compound and made their way up a small mesa near the perimeter. Once Jack made sure they were relatively alone, he turned to Arcee.

The two looked at each other in an almost awkward silence. Jack was the first to break it. "So, when I left for the world engine and you...you know," he said, a little nervous about the whole situation. "Was that just because of my joke or-"

Jack never finished as Arcee interrupted him with a kiss. His eyes widened in shock at first, but that quickly passed, and unlike before their kiss lasted much longer. Their lips began moving in unison and Jack noticed the odd texture for the first time of her lips. They almost felt like smooth silk, but as pliable and malleable as flesh and surprisingly warm.

Reluctantly, the two broke apart, and Arcee looked into his eyes. "That answer your question?" she teased.

Jack just nodded. "So what happens now?" he asked. "Are we a couple?"

"I'd think so," she said.

A sudden question entered Jack's relatively dazed mind. "Exactly how long have you felt this way about me?" he asked.

A sad look crossed her faceplate. "Remember when you almost died in the shadow zone?" Jack nodded, remembering the time.

"When I saw how bad you were hurt...I realized I couldn't bear to lose you, not like I'd lost Tailgate and Cliffjumper. I didn't really know my feelings though, until after the ship, when your father...confronted me about it,"

Jack let out a laugh. "You're kidding!?" he said.

Arcee smiled. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"No, but you look beautiful," he teased. He thought he heard someone gag but brushed it off as just the wind.

"Well, aren't you the smooth operator?" she said before giving him a light peck on the lips. With their conversation finished, the two began the trek back to the base.

"I take it everyone at base was okay with this?" Jack asked as they walked.

"Most of them were just shocked. Ratchet was Ratchet, but it seems June, Optimus, and Raf had their suspicions," she said.

Jack gave her a disbelieving look. "You're kidding. Raf was able to figure it out before we were?"

"Apparently," she answered, and the couple chuckled as they walked back into base. A slight cough caught their attention, and they turned to see every Bot from the current universe, minus Optimus, giving them very hard looks.

"Was there something I missed?" Jack asked.

"Care to explain this?" Elita asked as she sidestepped her position from in front of the terminal, revealing it to the two. Jack felt his entire face turn red and, to his shock, Arcee's turned a deep shade of blue. On screen was a picture of Jack and Arcee, locked in a kiss.

**A/N: Oh boy, this will be an interesting next chapter won't it? I hope you guys liked this chapter, and props to Elhini for the idea at the beginning. Props to her. Please remember to review with critique and PM us with plot based questions or ideas. Bye!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Awkward

_Autobot HQ…_

The entire Base fell into an uncomfortable silence. Everyone seemed to be waiting for Jack and Arcee to explain themselves. Jack just rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as everyone stared at them.

The other Arcee looked stunned to say the least and that was understandable. She started teetering back and forth falling back before the Bumblebee II caught her "Y-You two are dating?" she asked weakly.

Bee whirred out some sort of question and even though Jack couldn't understand him he had a feeling he was asking why he hadn't told them.

Optimus was oddly silent though out of shock was doubtful. Jack figured he was disappointed in him for lying to them. Everyone else was in a stunned silence except for the two from his universe. June wore a neutral expression while Wheeljack had what he could only assume was a look of congratulations on his face plate.

"Um… Well…" Jack started "How long have you guys known?" he asked nervously.

"A few minutes," Elita said crossing her arms "Why didn't you tell us that you and Arcee were…"

"An item?" Miko suggested. Jack shot her a knowing look. He knew she had something to do with this, and he'd get her back for it.

"Thank you Miko," Elita said.

"For one thing…" Jack muttered throwing Ultimus a nervous look. He had that same look on his faceplates again.

"Jack," a femme with a familiar voice warned "You have that look on your faceplate again,"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied in dead tone. Jack looked at the femme in shock as he realized that she was Dusk. He brushed his shock off, it'd make sense she could do that, she was a prime after all.

"It's that serial killer look," Amber replied "Calm yet deadly,"

"Don't give him any ideas," Dusk warned.

"I'm not going to kill him…" Ultimus growled "Yet,"

Jacks Arcee immediately took a threatening step towards the Prime "You lay a servo on him…" she let the threat hang in the air.

Dusk glared at Ultimus before kneeling before Jack "Let him explain, I'm sure he has a good explanation. Right Kal?" she asked.

"R-right," he muttered "Um… Well,"

He took in a deep breath "I didn't tell you because even I didn't know until about 10 minutes ago," that seemed to catch everyone off guard.

"Pardon?" Ultimus said.

"We were going to talk about our… feelings, after I dealt with Zod but well, I wound up here instead," Jack explained.

Elita pinched her 'nose' "How did this even happen?" she sighed.

It was Arcee's turn to step forward "Were not even entirely sure, but I know I've felt this way about Jack for a while I just didn't realize it until a few days ago when he almost died in the shadow zone," a sad look crossed Arcee's faceplates "I had just found out Jack wasn't human that very same day and felt betrayed and angry. I almost ended our partnership for good that day. But when he got back and I saw how close to death he was and that I might never get to apologize to him or talk to him…"

She took in a shaky breathe still remembering the event "After that I realized I had feelings for him that went past partnership," she said and gave Jack a loving look.

Everyone turned to Jack and he realized it was his turn to explain "I've felt the same way for probably longer, since Airachnid first arrived on Earth. After I saw how much pain she went through… Well I decided to never let that happen again,"

Several of the bots seemed to bow their helms out of… Respect? Jack was definitely not expecting _that_ to be on their list of emotional reactions. Dusk seemed to glare at her brother before speaking up.

"Can I talk with you Jack… alone?" she asked her brother. Ultimus shrugged and followed his older sister to one of the halls out of earshot of most. Jack decided listening in on that conversation would not be a good idea.

"Well that explains that," Amber said after the two left.

"Did you know about this?" Elita asked her counterpart.

"Everyone in base knows, Arcee basically announced her feelings in front of everyone before Jack left to face the world engine," June replied.

"And your okay with… this?" she gestured to the pair, earning a hard look from Jack.

"My son has had to deal with a lot of hardship in his life Elita," June said "I'm not going to deny him a chance at that happiness," she said firmly.

Elita let out a sigh "And I take it there's no way to change your minds either?" she asked Jack and Arcee.

They shook their heads simultaneously "Then I wish you two the best of luck," she said.

Optimus cleared his own throat before speaking "I believe it is best we do not pester Kal or Arcee for their relationship as well, it's their choice not ours,"

Everyone seemed to accept this and the group dissipated humans returning to their living area and the bots breaking off to continue their duties Arcee II steering clear of the two. Jack was okay with that she needed time to get used to this sudden influx of information.

A sudden question entered Jacks mind "Elita," he called and the rose femme turned to him "Who exactly told you about us?" he asked.

"It was Miko and Amber of course," she said calmly.

A small glint of red passed through his eyes and he looked up to the platform where said girls resided "That so?" he said wonderingly.

He flew up to the platform and sat on the railing and let out a cough. Miko and Amber turned to him in shock "You two wouldn't happen to know who it was that was spying on Arcee and I?" he asked with a tone of fake wonder.

"Nope, not all no idea!" Amber answered quickly.

"Really," he said sarcastically," Because according to Elita it was you and Miko who decided to follow us, now why is that?" he said while keeping his voice an eerie calm.

The two looked too each other "Run!" they both yelled and took off down the stairs away from the teen.

Jack chuckled as they ran down the stairs "You're not going to chase them?" Sean asked.

"Nah, I'll get them back eventually but they won't see it coming," Jack said with a smile.

"You are evil!" Ben said with a smile.

Before Jack could respond Dusk stormed out from the hall out to base "Dusk, where are you going?" Ben asked.

"For a drive," she growled and transformed into a golden corvette driving off.

Ultimus sulked out of the hall shortly after and shot an angry glare at Jack before walking away from his counterpart. June looked between the two "Is there something I don't know about?" she asked.

"Ultimus and I… don't get along," Jack said.

"Then you two should probably find a way to get a long," June said.

Jack looked at his mother "I don't think that's going to happen," he growled.

June let out an unhappy sigh. It was obvious her son wasn't going to listen to her any time soon and that the feud between him and Ultimus would take time to fix. Luckily they had over a week to fix it.

The base descended into a relatively peaceful silence after that. Both Wheeljack's were working on the ground bridge, Ratchet was monitoring the terminal, Optimus, Elita, and Arcee II were busy talking with several of the other bots, and Jack was sitting on the rail with his Arcee nearby.

Overall it was a peaceful enjoyable time for everyone. So of course something had to interrupt this peaceful moment.

A loud beep sounded over the terminal catching everyone's attention "Ratchet what is it?" Optimus asked.

"It's a transmission… From Dusk," he said. Ultimus immediately perked up at the mention of his sister.

The entire base seemed to assemble itself by Ratchet as he opened the transmission and Optimus spoke "Dusk, what seems to be the problem?" he asked with worry.

Instead of the musical voice of Dusk answering a sinister chuckle echoed through the base "I'm afraid Dusk isn't available at the moment," a dark voice that bore resemblance to Megatron's but younger and newer said.

"Draconus," Ultimus growled. Jacks eyes widened in shock. This was Draconus who the training simulator was based off of?

"What do you want?" Optimus asked his voice hard and cold.

"Just my cousins head on a platter for what he's done to me of course," Draconus taunted laughing to himself "In all serious I want Ultimus Prime,"

"What makes you think we'd give him to you," Elita growled.

"Because if you don't Dusk is going to find out how high a wingless Halfling can fall before becoming a stain on the ground," he rasped.

The entire base fell into silence and Ultimus was visibly shaking in anger. Jack didn't blame him, he remembered how angry he'd been when Zod had first attacked his mother. He just hoped the Prime didn't do anything rash.

"You have three hours to send him to me at these coordinates," he said and a pair of coordinates flashed on-screen "Any attempt for anyone other than _Jack_ to come to me will result in her immediate... termination," his ransom finished the line went dead.

Everyone looked at Optimus who had a hard look on his faceplate "Sir what is our plan?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"We are not sending Ultimus to Draconus. More than likely he plans to betray him and will kill them both, we cannot allow that to happen," he said.

Amber suddenly noticed that two very important people were missing, "Hey, where's Jack and Kal?" she asked.

_On the road..._

Jack sped after his counterpart who was driving across the barren road at blistering speeds. He'd notice him leave when Draconus gave the coordinates and had given chase. Whether or not the bot knew he was tailing him was a matter for debate, point was Jack was quickly gaining on him.

Jack slowly caught up to him until he was running side by side by him and rapped his window "Gagh!" Ultimus yelled as he swerved in surprise. Jack jumped out-of-the-way as the mech regained his composure.

"What are _you_ doing?" he demanded as he continued to drive Jack keeping pace with him.

"What do you think?"he asked loudly as he ran, "helping you save Dusk!" exclaimed.

"I don't need your help go back to base and snuggle with your _partner,"_he snarled venomously before his car form shifted suddenly into a jet form that took off.

Jack shook his head at his Doppelganger's stubbornness before taking off after him. He quickly broke the sound barrier and flew under his counterpart for several moments. Confident he hadn't seen him he twisted up next to Ultimus and tapped on the window again earning another startled yelp from the prime.

"I don't need your help!" he screamed pushing his engines harder trying to speed away from Jack. It was in vain, Jack was faster than any jet made by man and kept pace with him.

They were at a low altitude luckily and Jack was able to still speak to him "Don't need it, or don't want it!?" he asked over the wind.

"Both," he growled "I've handled Draconus before and I don't need you to get in my way,"

Jack frowned at the response. Deciding it was time to stop playing this game, he shot ahead of Ultimus grabbed him by the nose cone and flung him at the ground below. He let out a yelp as he fell and shifted to mech form landing on his pedes.

"Are you fragging insane!?" he yelled as Jack landed in front of him.

"No, I'm just sick of your attitude!" he yelled back, "I have done nothing but apologize and try to be helpful as possible and all I'm ever met with is hostility from you!"

Ultimus's gaze hardened as Jack continued to rant "Everyone else seems to have accepted me except you," Kal flew up to his face and glared at his optics his eyes glowing red in anger "So again, what the hell is your problem!?"

"I'll tell you what my problem is," he snarled "YOU are my problem, ever since you've shown up you've turned my sister against me and try to tell me how to act around my own family as if you understand how loss feels!"

Jacks eyes widened in anger at the last bit. He could understand his problem with his sister but him not knowing loss...

"I don't know how loss feels," he repeated "I DON'T KNOW HOW LOSS FEELS!" he screamed.

All his rage was released in a massive tide as he punched his counterpart knocking him on his aft. Ultimus looked at him stunned and Jack landed on his throat "Listen you little brat!" he yelled pointing a finger at the prime "I have experienced more loss more pain in my entire life while you've lived a soft cushy life! I watched my father die in front of me, my entire race is DEAD and you have the nerve to say I don't know how loss feels!"

Ultimus looked at him in shock "And now I'm offering to help save your sisters life and your too damn stubborn to even accept my help!"

Jack ended his rant and the two glared at each other. Jack in anger and Ultimus with a mixture of anger and sympathy in his optics.

"Fine," he growled "You can help,"

Jack's anger faded slightly and he hopped off him "But exactly how do you plan on stopping Draconus," Ultimus asked as he slowly stood to his feet.

"You mean you didn't already have a plan!?" Jack asked incredulously.

"I was just going to kick his aft until you decided to tag along," he growled and the two descended into another argument. They argued for several minutes when suddenly Ultimus let out a yell of pain and fell to his knees grasping his shoulder.

"Whoa are you alright?" Jack asked temporarily forgetting their argument.

"I'm fine," he said "it's Dusk who's in trouble, Draconus is getting impatient we need to hurry,"

"Lead the way," Jack said and the two sped off.

_Ransom Location..._

Ultimus came to a stop as he reached the location and transformed to robot mode walking as he did. He spotted Draconus and walked towards him, while Jack snuck around him.

Jack spared a glance at the con and gaped in slight awe. He towered over Megatron by heads and shoulders and was covered in symmetrical spikes wearing a crown of them on his helm and two large ones as shoulder pads that jutted straight out. He was an odd mix of orange and brown with a white faceplate covered in faint scars. His optics were a sickening yellow color that read of both intelligence and insanity.

His clawed feet were massive and one rested upon Dusk. The femme had a large dent in her forehead and her wing looked like it had been stepped on but besides a few scratches she seemed fine.

Jack spotted a rock formation behind him and quickly began ascending it while Ultimus approached Draconus "Cousin," he greeted in mock happiness "I'm so happy you arrived,"

Ultimus glared at him _'Just keep stalling,'_ Jack thought to himself as he climbed.

"I'm here now Draconus, now let her go," he growled.

Draconus tapped a talon to his chin "Ah yes her," he said thoughtfully "You see, I only promised you'd get her back if you came. You came and I'll give her back," he smiled in a sick way "I never said how though,"

He took his foot off her and grabbed her by the throat arm raised ready to strike "Don't!" Ultimus yelled, but Draconus ignored him. His fist shot forward about to rip through her spark.

A blur slammed into him though knocking him backwards into a small mesa behind him. Jack stood on the floor and motioned for Ultimus to hurry over. Ultimus nodded and ran to his sister cradling her in his arms.

"Dusk are you alright?" he asked receiving a moan as his response "I'll take that as a yes," he said and began putting himself and her as far from Draconus as possible.

He turned to Jack "Kal come on," he called.

Jack stood where he was "No, Draconus is going to come after you, I'll hold him off,"

Ultimus looked at him in shock "Are you crazy!" he yelled.

Jack turned to him as the rubble Draconus was buried began to shift and move "GO!" he yelled right as the rubble exploded to reveal Draconus in dragon form. Draconus unfurled his wings and let out an earth shattering roar as he took off towards Jack.

Jack faced his opponent as he flew towards him and raised both his fists above him. He leapt into the air and slammed them down on the helm of the dragoncon causing him to smash into the ground skidding along it as he did. Draconus quickly turned to face him only to receive a right hook to the face.

His helm swung to the right only to receive a left hook to it as well. Jack repeated this pattern for several seconds knocking his head back and forth several times. His helm suddenly froze as it swung to one side. Draconus shifted his whole body and his tail slammed into Jack knocking him back into a large rock formation.

He quickly shot out of the rubble, only for the maw of Draconus to try and swallow him. Jack stopped him by grabbing hold of his mandibles and struggling to hold his maw back. Saliva dripped from his massive teeth and Jack grimaced as he held him back. He let out a sudden roar of his own and kicked Draconus in the teeth. There was a loud crack and several of his fangs shattered from the blow.

Draconus reared his head back and screeched in pain from the blow. His claws suddenly slammed Jack to the side and he crashed into the ground. He tried standing only for his talons to slam on top of him. Jack looked up to see Draconus's massive head staring down at him with yellow optics. His mouth opened and fire spewed out of his maw, bathing the Kryptonian in it. Jack held out against it, and when the flames died down Draconus let out a confused growl at the fact that despite his clothes being in tatters, he and his super-suit were unharmed.

Jack glared at the con with red eyes and his heat vision shot from his eye burning out his right optic. Draconus shrieked in pain and released Jack pawing at his now missing Optic with a talon. Jack got up and grabbed hold Draconus's tail.

"Hey Draconus about that grudge of yours" he said. The dragoncon turned to him with pure hatred in his remaining optic.

Before he could attack the teen though, Jack shot into the air dragging him with him in surprise. Jack shot hundreds of feet into the coming to a sudden stop. Draconus himself kept going and stopped when Jack yanked his tail to stop it. Jack began to spin Draconus around slowly going faster and faster and faster.

"You need to let it go!" he yelled and let the con go flying. Draconus roared in fury as he rocketed forwards slamming through a mesa and slamming into the ground leaving a crater buried in rubble. Jack let out a sigh of relief and descended to the ground in front of the crater.

"Wow," a voice said and Jack turned to see Ultimus and Dusk standing there, Dusk seeming to have regained her consciousness "How you holding up?"Jack asked.

She shrugged weakly "I've had worse at least he didn't break my wing this time," she said.

Jack smiled and opened his mouth to respond when the rubble began to shift "Oh come on!" he exclaimed and turned to face it.

Draconus burst out of the rubble in robot form with a far less powerful but still intimidating roar. His armor was covered in dents and scratches from the impact and his optic was closed tight from Jacks own attack.

"I will rip you to shreds!" he screamed.

Jack glared at him "I don't think so," he growled and shot forward despite the protest from Dusk and Ultimus.

He punched Draconus square in the faceplate and he slid back with a grunt of pain. Jack shot forward intending to do the same only for his fist to slam into the con's own. The two struggled against each other, Jacks fist seeming insignificant when compared to the size of the cons fist.

He raised his other fist to strike and the two met as well. It appeared their strength was easily matched. Good thing Jack had more than just his strength to use against him. Twin beams of heat shot across his chest singing it as well and creating an odd X shape on the con's chest.

Draconus stumbled back hissing in pain as he touched at the wound before glaring at Jack "I will strip the flesh from your bones!" he threatened.

"Bring it puff," Jack taunted. Draconus snarled at him and the two charged once more. They traded blow for blow, Draconus receiving dents and scorch marks Jack getting knocked around like a rag doll. An overhead blow knocked Jack to the ground and he rolled onto his back catching the foot of Draconus with his hands.

With a massive heave he twisted and there was a large CRACK! Draconus stumbled back howling in pain as he fell on his aft. He grasped his injured leg and glared at Jack "I will-" he was interrupted when Jack shot forward and grabbed the horn on his head. with a quick flick he snapped it off and threw it to the ground.

"You will leave," he ordered. Draconus only glared at him "NOW!" he yelled.

Reluctantly the dragoncon transformed and flew off favoring his rear right leg as he did. Jack exhaled as he descended to the ground. That was the most difficult fight against a con he'd ever experienced. Only one fight had been tougher for him and even then this was a close second. Jack definitely felt exhausted for sure.

He saw Ultimus and Dusk run to him and gave a weak smile as he fell forward unconsciousness taking him. He wasn't hurt but he was dead tired.

_Dreamscape…_

_'Please no, not again!'_ Jack thought as he looked around the familiar dreamscape desert. Jack slowly turned around to where he knew Zod would be standing.

Sure enough he was there only this time something was different. He wasn't holding a human sized Arcee by the throat, he had the full size one under his foot. His foot was standing on her chest and Jack had a sickening feeling that he knew what he planned to do.

"Where's the codex Kal-El?" he asked.

"I don't know where it is," Jack said.

"Do you wish for this Autobot to die?" he asked coldly.

"Please Zod I don't know!" Jack yelled.

Zod let out an angry sigh "Very well," he said.

He raised his fist and in a cobra like strike his fists ripped through Arcee's chest. The femme let out a heartbreaking screech.

"Arcee!" Jack screamed reaching out to try and comfort her.

Arcee reached to him her optics already flickering weakly "J-jack," she said weakly. She froze as Zod ripped his fist out of her chest holding her pulsing spark in his hand the energy from the energy source not even harming him.

In one smooth movement he crushed the spark in his fist sending a fine powder everywhere "NO!" Jack screamed and Arcee's optics flickered once before they went dark.

"Where's the codex Kal?" Zod demanded "What have you done with it?"

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack woke with a start panting heavily sweat coating his body. Tears were streaking down his face as he remembered how vivid the dream was. He put his face in his hand and started taking deep shaky breathes to calm himself.

Jack felt a metal hand on his back and a voice of concern "Are you okay partner?" Arcee asked. She was kneeled next to him on the berth with a look of concern on her faceplate. Jack looked at her tears still present on his face. He looked her over checking just to make sure she wasn't hurt in anyway.

He finally spoke "No, I'm not, it was the same dream," he said. Arcee fixed him with a questioning look and in an instant like before with his mother the details came pouring out quick and fast.

Jack quickly finished and looked at her. Arcee had a sad expression on her face but seemed otherwise unaffected by what he'd told her. Jack let out an almost shocked gasp as Arcee suddenly embraced him.

"Jack, nothing's going to happen to me, I promise you that. Zod's gone you managed to send him and his crew to the phantom zone," she pulled away and gazed into his eyes with her bright blue optics lovingly.

Jack smiled "You always know what to say you know that?" he said.

She smiled "Heat of the moment," she said and pulled him in for a kiss.

_Elsewhere…_

The forest was drowned in peaceful darkness only illuminated by a thin sliver of moon that shone over the landscape barely illuminating the area. The area was silent save for a few animals chirping or howling. This peaceful silence was interrupted by a sudden spark of electricity followed by another.

This process repeated and with a roar a massive white portal broke open and shot two figures out. They landed face first on the ground and the portal promptly closed shut. For several moments the two figures where completely silent before the large one got up.

He was a man dressed in odd organic grey armor. He had a faced lined with the beginnings age on his face and short black hair. He had a goatee on his chin streaked with bits of white. A single pale scar descended next to his left eye. His eyes contained a level of intelligence only seen in a genius or a mad man, possibly both.

The second figure, a woman stood dressed in similar armor but with a long black cape trailing as well. She had close cropped black hair that greatly contrasted her pale white skin. Her eyes contained what could only be described as controlled insanity.

Both figures stood over 6'ft tall the male standing 6'5 the woman 6'2. They were Zod and his second in command Faora last remnants of his military force he'd brought to earth.

Zod let out an angry roar and smashed his fist into a tree. The wood and bark broke off and the large tree fell forward landing with a loud crash "That child will pay for what he did!" Zod declared.

"General Zod," Faora said gaining his attention "I do not mean to interrupt you but we have visitors," she pointed to a group of two humans one male and one female staring at the two.

Zod jumped forward and landed in front of them. The two scrambled back but Zod grabbed hold of the male and brought him to his face "You, were are we!?" he asked angrily.

"Y-Yellowstone p-park," he stuttered terrified by this man before him.

"Then we are still on Earth?" he asked already knowing the answer.

The man nodded shakily and Zod laughed "Then perhaps there is still hope," he said throwing the man to the ground "But with our ship and crew gone we will need to blend in until we have gathered the resources necessary for what we need," Zod said and eyed the two hikers.

Several minutes later Zod and Faora emerged from the woods dressed in a new attire. Zod wore a flannel shirt and jeans with black hiking boots a large pack containing his armor flung over his shoulder. Faora was dressed in a white t-shirt with blue jeans and brown hiking boots a similar pack flung over her shoulder.

"What do we do now general?" she asked as they walked towards the vehicle the hikers _had_ owned getting into it. Zod quickly figured out how to drive the primitive machine and drove off down the road quickly.

"Now we find a map and begin searching the Decepticon dig-sites that we identified before the ship was destroyed. The Decepticons shall provide the materials we need to finish our original plan," he said. He'd failed once, but he would not fail again, this time Kal would not stop him, the Autobots would not stop him, no one would stop him

He was Zod and all would kneel before him or die…

**A/N: BUM BUM BUMMMMMM. I bet **_**none **_**of you saw this coming did you? Anyway I might have enjoyed writing this chapter than I should have but hey what are you going to do? On a side note I'm not actually sure when these two shall return to the plot as a whole I figured they'll show up later after a few ideas we've been kicking around get put into the story, but don't worry I'll make sure to devote a small part of my chapters to showing what the two are up to masquerading as humans. Anyway, remember to review with critique, and PM the both of us with plot based ideas or plot base questions as we'll be happy to listen to them or answer them too. Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Ship

_Autobot HQ..._

Jack and Arcee broke their kiss and looked at each other, lost in their eyes. They likely would have stayed like this for a long time, except a cough interrupted them. They both jumped slightly and turned to see Dusk standing there, leaning against the wall.

"Ugh...Hi Dusk," Jack said, his face turning cherry red. "How long were you standing there?" he asked.

The halfling laughed. "Long enough to wonder if you two were kissing or trying to eat each other," she said. Jack's face turned an even brighter shade of red. and Arcee's faceplate turned indigo blue.

"I'm going to...be in the lobby if you need me," Arcee said and walked out, leaving Jack to talk to Dusk.

"You two are real lovey-dovey, you know that?" Dusk said.

Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah...there a particular reason you came into here?" Dusk raised a brow at him. "Not that I find you annoying!" he quickly amended.

Dusk chuckled. "You really are just like my brother," she said. Jack wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"Anyway," she continued, "I just wanted to thank you for rescuing me. Ja-Ultimus would have probably gotten himself killed."

She paused for a moment as a thought occurred to her. "How did you get him to work with you?" she asked.

Jack hopped off the berth and stretched before speaking. "I threw him at the ground and called him a brat who lived a cushy life," he said nonchalantly.

Dusk laughed hard for several seconds before wiping her eye, "Well that's one way to do it, isn't it?" she said with another laugh.

Jack shrugged. "Guess so," he said. Jack began walking out of the med bay when he remembered something. "How's your wing by the way?" he asked as they walked into the main area.

"Fine, Count Drakkie isn't as tough as he'd like to think; you showed him that," Dusk said.

"Yeah, you kicked his aft," Ultimus said, approaching the two.

Jack looked at him warily, and Ultimus sighed. "I'm not angry at you Kal, not anymore. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me save my sister...and sorry for being such a..." He searched for the right word.

"Blockhead, pain in the aft, I can go all day," Dusk quipped.

Ultimus shot her a look. "Yeah...that," he said.

Jack looked at his counterpart in shock. He'd never actually expected Ultimus to act _nice_ to him, let alone apologize. He must have hit his head harder than he thought, and this whole experience was a hallucination.

Then again, his kiss with Arcee moments ago felt pretty realistic, so he decided this was real. Just to be sure. "Did I hit my head when I blacked out?" he asked.

Dusk laughed again, and a faint smile graced Ultimus's lips. "No _Superboy,"_ Dusk said. "You didn't."

"Really, if anyone should feel like he's dreaming, it's Draconus," Jack said as the three walked into the main area. "I've never seen someone do THAT to him. It looked so easy too."

"It wasn't," Jack admitted. "It was the second hardest fight of my life," he said as he and the other two walked to the human area.

"What was your hardest!?" Miko and Amber asked as they took their respective positions behind, on, or near the couch.

"My fight with Faora and that other Kryptonian in Jasper; I got my aft handed to me," Jack said.

"Faora?" Ben asked. "What kind of name is that?"

"Better yet," Sean said. "How did _you_ get your aft handed to you if you've handled the strongest Cons minus Ol Bucket head,"

Jack looked at all the humans who clearly wanted to hear the story of his fight in Jasper. He let out a sigh. "Okay, fine I'll tell you,"

Jack took a deep breath and began his tale. "I've told you all about how Zod held a gun to Earth's head searching for me right?" he asked to be sure. Everyone nodded, and he noticed his mother and Arcee flinch as they remembered all too well.

"Well, after that I...turned myself in to the US military so that Earth would be spared," he said.

"Speaking of," June interrupted, "we still have the matter of your punishment to go over," she said. There was a collective laugh from the humans and Bots.

"As I was saying," Jack continued once the laugh died down. "The military in turn sent me to Zod where I found out two things: one, that adapting to an atmosphere I never grew up in is...painful," he said, rubbing his chest as he remembered the pain. "Two, that Zod murdered my Kryptonian father Jor-El, who sacrificed himself to make sure I made it off planet," he said sadly. Several of the Bots and humans looked at him sadly.

"After that I was restrained, and my powers were negated, making me as weak and vulnerable as a human," he explained.

"How does that work?" Bulkhead asked.

"My powers are influenced by the sun's rays and this planet's atmosphere. My home world Krypton...was a harsh planet and made Earth look like a beach resort."

"So, you're solar powered?" Amber asked with a laugh.

Jack shrugged. "Why do you think I wear this suit everywhere? It stores energy from the sun and keeps my powers from fading at night." He turned to his Arcee. "That's why I didn't just beat the scrap out of Airachnid when we encountered her. I didn't have the suit yet, and my powers were drained from an earlier training session," he explained

Arcee just nodded and Jack continued. "Anyway, I eventually escaped when one of his goons tried to use this," he said, pulling the small command key out of his belt.

"What is that?" Miko asked.

"That," he said, rotating it between his fingers, "is a Kryptonian command key. Think of it as a super computer. This device contains the last remnants of my father, Jor-El's, memories and consciousness, a sort of advanced AI that can hack any Kryptonian device." Everyone gawked at the small piece of metal in his hand. Jack quickly slipped it back into his belt, worried about losing it.

"Anyway," he continued. "I managed to escape and 'recharge' my powers and found Zod had gone to Earth...To my home to search for the Codex." Jack's voice darkened at the end. June shivered as she remembered how the man had threatened her and nearly killed her.

"I stopped him and crashed through a gas station with him. The explosion did enough to damage his helmet enough that he started breathing Earth's air," Jack said.

"So?" Amber asked.

"So," Jack replied. "His senses became heightened, overwhelmed. He didn't have the years of experience to deal with it, so he was incapacitated." Jack hung his head. "I wasn't able to capture him. His troops took him away and left Faora and some large brute to fight me. The result was me getting my aft kicked."

"But we saw you take Draconus on. How could they possibly take you on? You had years to get used to your abilities," Dusk pointed out.

"I didn't say I didn't put up a fight, but these Kryptonians were all genetically engineered and raised to be soldiers, like all the other Kryptonians at the time," Jack explained. He noticed the Bots all exchanged looks but ignored it. "I was basically fighting two heavily trained military soldiers with almost no military training of my own," he said and sudden realization passed over everyone's faces.

"So how'd you fight them off?" Wheeljack II asked.

"I didn't. I was knocked unconscious for a short time when I was hit with a freight train. After that, Team Prime showed up to stop them, and, well...you already know how that ended," he said and watched his Arcee shudder at the memory of her injuries.

"I only chased them off by breaking Faora's helmet, causing the two to retreat. If Zod and Faora made it here though...I'm not sure I could beat them. Zod took on Optimus and Megatron together and almost killed them both!" he exclaimed.

"But," Dusk said, "They're not. You managed to send them to that phantom zone place, Kal. You beat them."

Jack sighed. "I guess you have a point," he said.

"Of course I do. Now, how about we focus on something a little less depressing and get you some normal clothes since your other ones were fried," she said.

Jack blushed as he looked at his suit. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea," he said and followed his counterpart to his room so he could borrow some new clothes.

_Later..._

Jack walked down the hall with his counterpart in relative silence. He hoped he'd get some new clothes soon. He didn't want to spend the rest of his time here dressed like an Olympic gymnast, so he was confused when Ultimus lead him past his room.

"I thought we were going to your room?" he asked as they walked by the door.

"Nope," he replied, and Jack could have sworn he saw him smile. He shook it off. Maybe the clothes were somewhere else.

They came to a stop by a door with a key pad. Ultimus punched in a code and ignored Jack's confused look.

Ultimus turned to him. "Mom said she bought a few sets of clothes for you and put them in here," he explained.

"Oh," Jack said in relief and walked closer to the door.

"They should be in there somewhere," Ultimus said, gesturing to the room.

Jack shrugged and walked in. "Hey," he said as he walked through the doorway. "It's…kinda dark in…"

The door behind him suddenly slammed behind him and locked. Jack whirled around at the now locked door and rushed up to it.

"Hey! Ultimus! This isn't funny! Open the door!" he yelled.

He could almost see him grinning from the other side of the door "Sorry Kal," he muttered. "If I didn't, Dusk would prank me into nonexistence." And he ran off.

Jack banged on the door, leaving large dents in the door. "Guys!" he yelled "Open up!"

There was the sound of flickering, and Jack turned to see a computer screen flicker to life. There was a message on the screen. _'Play the game, and we're even, Dusk,'_ it said.

Jack let out a sigh. He knew this was coming, and he'd given Dusk permission to do it so he had no one to blame but himself.

He looked at where he guessed the camera was in the room. "Alright Dusk, I said you could get me back, so I'll play your game," he announced.

He walked forward and sat on a simple steel stool, ignoring the glare from the screen.

The word _SLENDER_ was displayed across the screen. "What kinda name for a game is that?" he asked no one in particular.

He started it up and read the directions. Find all the pages before _he_ catches you. Jack raised a brow. Who was _he?_

He shook his head, the sooner he got this over with the better. The game started, and he found himself in a dark forest with only a flashlight to light his way. He didn't play a lot of games, but even he knew this graphics were subpar at best.

Jack started forward and saw a page stapled to a tree. It had an odd scribbling of a...faceless man...in a suit with long fingers and the word _FOLLOWS_ written next to him.

"Odd," he muttered and picked up the page. There was suddenly a loud boom of a piano over the speakers and Jack jumped, having a small heart attack.

After he settled himself, he kept moving through the forest and found the second page as well. Written on it were the words _CAN'T RUN_ written over a silhouette.

"Well that's a little creepy," he said aloud, his pulse elevating slightly.

He continued on and found the third page easily, and instead of words was only a picture of the faceless man in a suit with trees around him.

He snorted. "Dusk, if this is the best you can-" suddenly the screen crackled, and a familiar figure appeared in the trees. Jack jumped slightly.

"W-what was that?" he said nervously. He continued on and came to a fork in the road and hesitated. What if that...figure appeared again?

Jack shook his head. "It's just a game; it's not real," he said to himself. _'Then why are your hands shaking?'_ he thought silently.

He continued down the road and came to a building and walked inside, finding the next page with the words _HELP ME_ scribbled in all caps across the page. Jack felt his heart rate start rising. He was starting to freak out now.

He trembled as he walked back to the exit and turned down a hall...AND HE WAS RIGHT THERE standing across in the hall and a loud unexpected crash of piano keys sounded.

Jack screamed loudly and reacted instinctively, his heat vision lancing out and cutting through computer and monitor. He fell out of the chair and scrambled against the door, realizing the room, like the rest, of the base was shielded.

He couldn't see out the walls. They were getting closer and closer, closing in on him. Tears streamed down his face as he slammed his fist against the door, knocking out across the hallway. Jack rushed out into the light and was blinded by the sudden light.

He stumbled and fell onto the floor, curling into a ball and trembling in fear. It wasn't just _that _that had scared him. It was the claustrophobia. Jack was in the middle of a panic attack, trying to calm down the best he could.

Jack continued to tremble and heard footsteps come running down the hall. He didn't care he just...just needed to be alone.

"Kal!" Dusk yelled as she rushed to his side. The boy just sat curled up, trembling slightly and whimpering weakly.

"Kal, please I'm sorry!" she exclaimed sadly.

Metal footsteps could be heard and Arcee raced onto the scene with June close behind. "We heard screaming what..." she saw the trembling form of her boyfriend and rushed to his side. "Jack!"

She went to her knees and placed a servo on him gently. "Jack, what's wrong?" she asked and looked at Dusk. "What happened?" she growled.

Dusk looked at the femme with a sad look. "It...it was just supposed to be a harmless prank; I didn't..." Dusk didn't finish.

June rushed to her son's side. "He's claustrophobic" she scolded. "That room was probably shielded and he couldn't see out of it. Right now he's experiencing a panic attack," she diagnosed.

"Well, how do we fix him!?" Arcee demanded angrily.

"We don't need to do anything. He's already coming out of it. Look," June said, pointing to her son.

Sure enough, Jack was already starting to calm down, his trembling reduced to the occasional shudder. Slowly, he stood up, shaking as he did. The three let out a collective gasps as they saw the tears in his eyes.

"I..." Dusk started, only to receive a look of pure rage from Arcee.

"WHAT IN THE PIT WERE YOU THINKING!" Arcee yelled.

Dusk just lowered her head in shame. "I was just..."

"JUST WHAT!" she screamed, causing Dusk's head to drop lower. Arcee opened her mouth to yell at the halfling more when a small voice interrupted her.

"Arcee... stop," Jack said weakly, still wiping tears from his eyes.

Arcee and Dusk looked at the boy in shock. "Please... stop," he repeated.

"Jack she..." Arcee started, but he interrupted her.

"Was getting even with me for my...reaction from earlier," he said, starting to regain his composure.

He turned to Dusk. "Jack," she started, using his actual name. "I'm sorry I didn't think..."

Jack raised a hand. "I forgive you," he said.

Dusk seemed shocked by this. She tried finding her voice for a second. "Y-you do!?" she and Arcee said simultaneously.

"You said you'd get even, and you did," he said.

A sad look appeared on her face. "I shouldn't have gotten even like this," she muttered. "Both of us are creatures of the sky. I should have known you'd at least be a little claustrophobic. I'm such an idiot,"

Jack rolled his eyes. "You're not an idiot," he said. "I completely deserved it. It was well done prank…who taught you anyway?"

"My guardian," she replied with a sad smile.

"Optimus taught you!?" he asked incredulously.

"No!" she snorted. "Optimus is my current guardian; I had one before. Arcee might know him," she said.

Jack looked at Arcee, who in turn looked at Dusk with a slightly angry look on her faceplate. Jack had a feeling it would be a little while before Arcee forgave Dusk. Great, a repeat of his own feud with Ultimus.

"Ever hear the designation of Sideswipe?" Dusk asked. Sideswipe? What kinda Bot was he?

"Oh no, he's your guardian?" she groaned. "I should've known; I really should have. It would explain so much!"

Jack looked at the two, confused. "Think of a mech that's worse than me when it comes to pranks," Dusk explained. Jack shuddered at the very idea of such a person existing. "He and his twin, Sunstreaker, Amber's former guardian before Smokescreen…well, Hatchet dubbed them the 'Spawns of Unicron',"

Jack looked at her funny. "Spawns of a Unicorn?" he asked. What did unicorns have to do with this?

Dusk laughed at him for several seconds. Jack just continued to look at her, confused and waiting for an explanation.

After she calmed down, she explained. "No, no, no" she started "Unicron…wait, you guys must be behind us in the time stream. Ah, you'll find out."

"Find out what?" he asked.

"Never mind," she said. "Anyway, yeah, 'Sides taught me the fine art of pranking. First victim was ol' Ironhide…I superglued his doors shut…he was ticked off to say the least," she said with a smile.

"Whatever happened to Sideswipe?" Jack asked.

Dusk's smile melted away, and Jack immediately regretted asking it. "He…he's no longer with us," she replied sadly. "He's been gone for about five years now,"

"Then Sunstreaker's gone too?" Arcee asked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Life's gotten pretty dull with them gone."

"I'm so sorry," Jack said. "It must be hard."

"Spend as much time with your guardian as you can, Kal," Dusk warned. "You never know when you might lose them."

Jack looked to Arcee with a look of concern on his face. "I'm not going anywhere yet partner," she said with a small smile.

Jack smiled back before June added her opinion to the mix. "Well, now that that's settled, I think we should head back to the lobby so everyone knows that Jack's okay and Arcee hasn't tried to kill Dusk."

"That...sounds good," Jack said, and the four of them returned to the main area.

Ultimus and the others ran to the edge of platform, concern etched on their faces. "Kal, you all right?" Ultimus asked.

Jack nodded. "I'm fine, just...startled," he said.

"Guess we should have realized you were claustrophobic huh?" Ultimus said.

Jack shrugged "It's in the past, no reason to dwell on it," he paused. "Just don't leave me alone in any hallways anytime soon," he half joked.

"I'm not taking my eye off you anytime soon, _Superboy,_ "Arcee joked.

Jack's face turned red at the mention of his nickname, and there were small laughs from everyone minus the more serious Bots. "Really Arcee?" he asked.

She smiled. "What? I think it's cute," she replied innocently.

Jack sighed in defeat. There was no convincing her to stop calling him that, might as well accept it.

"PRIME!" a voice said over the terminal. Everyone turned to see Agent Fowler's face on the screen.

"Good to see some things are universal," Jack whispered to Arcee. Arcee smiled slightly as the Agent continued.

"Our science guys just tracked an unidentified object entering Earth's atmosphere at high speeds. It touched down near Lake Eerie, and one of our drones managed to snap a pic of it before the Cons scrambled over it," A picture of the ship appeared on-screen, and Jack gasped.

It was a good quality picture, and Jack could make out the shape and color of it. It was a small ship, about the size of the Jackhammer and was made of very familiar bronze colored steel with organic curves to it. Jack only knew one kind of ship design like that, and it wasn't Cybertronian.

"More Autobots or Cons?" Fowler asked.

Optimus shook his head. "I'm afraid not Agent Fowler. I do not recognize this ship design as Cybertronian," Optimus said.

"That's because it's not," Jack said.

Everyone turned to him. "What do you mean Kal?" Optimus asked.

"I haven't seen that design in particular, but that ship...It's Kryptonian," he said.

"You are sure of this?" Optimus asked.

"I am," Jack said. "Optimus if the Cons get their hands on that kind of tech…" he didn't need to elaborate further.

"Then I suggest you make your way over there pronto," Fowler said, and his face disappeared from screen.

Optimus looked at his assembled Bots. "It is likely that the wreckage is under heavy guard. As such, we will be in need of all of our available man power," he said.

"Optimus, are you sure this is wise?" Ratchet asked.

Magnus nodded in agreement. "I agree with the doctor. We mustn't use all our forces in one strike, for this ship could prove fatal,"

"You don't need to," Jack said. "This is a ship made by my people, so I'll be happy to help,"

"I cannot allow that Kal-El," Optimus said. "You have only recently recovered from your fight with Draconus and should be given time to recover,"

"Optimus," Jack started. "I was left in critical condition from my time in the shadow zone. Five minutes later my wounds were completely healed, and I was at full strength. I can handle some Vehicons," he said.

Optimus thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "Very well, you, Smokescreen, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead shall accompany me,"

"Hey," Ultimus said indignantly. "Dad, what about me?" he asked.

"You shall remain here with your sister," Optimus ordered. Ultimus opened his mouth to protest but a look from Optimus caused whatever protest he was about to make to die in his throat.

"Autobots, rollout," he ordered, and the Bots transformed and drove through the bridge.

Jack flew up and was about to follow when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to face his Arcee. "You better come back alive," she ordered.

Jack smiled. "Don't suppose I can get another kiss for luck?" he asked.

Arcee smiled. "Not this time smooth operator; now go," she ordered lightly.

Jack's shoulders drooped slightly, but he nodded and shot off in pursuit of Optimus and the others.

_Lake Eerie..._

Jack and the other Autobots came through the ground bridge out near the crash site. They came out on a ledge overlooking the area and quickly got down to better scout the area.

It was a relatively wooded area with the sky being overcast and the blue surface of the lake shimmering in the distance. The ship itself could be seen in a large crater from its impact into the ground. The trees surrounding the clearing were cut off from the top and slightly singed. Several small fires could be seen burning in and around the crater.

Of course, such details weren't noticed by the Autobots. What they noticed where the cons. There were dozens of them scattered across the clearing, moving rubble and patrolling the area. One particular Con caught Jack's eye.

He was huge, almost as big as Megatron and covered in purple armor. He was broad and thick with a small pair of winglets on his back and a massive cannon on his left arm even larger than Megatron's. He looked to the side and Jack saw he had no face, just one red, glowing optic that consumed any other facial features.

"Who's the Cyclops?" he asked Smokescreen.

"That's Shockwave, the Con's head scientist," he explained. "He is responsible for most of the tech those guys use now," he said.

"That guy's a scientist?" Jack asked, looking back at the massive Con.

"Does it matter?" Bulkhead asked. "Point is we're here to wreck the Cons and get that ship back to base." He slammed his fists together.

"Bulkhead has a point," Optimus said and stood to his full height. "Autobots Attack!" he ordered, and the Bots leapt off the ledge. Bulkhead landed on one of the Cons below and began blasting, Smokescreen and Bumblebee not far behind. Optimus shot into the air using his jetpack and unleashed a barrage of blasts at the Cons below. Jack moved off to his own goal to get the Cons away from the ship as soon as possible.

Jack flew towards the ship and noticed Shockwave had posted several Vehicons to protect him while he worked. The Vehicons noticed the Kryptonian and opened fire, aiming to shoot him down. Of course, the aim of a Vehicon is atrocious and every shot was dodged with ease.

Jack unleashed a beam of heat vision and watched with satisfaction as one of the Vehicons' heads rolled off. He rocketed forward and slammed into another one, causing it to stumble back. Before it could recover, Jack punched it in the jaw knocking it high into the air. As it flew up, Jack grabbed it by the foot and threw it at the other Vehicon. The two collided, sending sparks everywhere, and crashed to the ground, out for the count.

That left only Shockwave, since his guards had been dealt with. Jack flew to where he had last seen the Con, only to freeze in front of the barrel of the canyon. Shockwave stood there, his one eye glaring at him.

"You are the one who defeated Draconus," he stated. His voice was a deep booming monotone, and just listening to it gave the teen shivers.

"Yeah, so?" Jack asked, being careful not to get shot. He'd survive it, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.

"Capturing you and studying you would yield…interesting results for the Decepticon cause," he stated.

"But if I was strong enough to take down Draconus _alone_," Jack said. "What makes you think you could take me?"

Shockwave's cannon started to glow. "I am more…logical," he said and fired. Jack flew back in an arc, skidding across the ground as he landed. The cannon had a lot of kick to it, but Jack had been caught off guard by the blast. The Con was screwed now.

Jack stood up and saw Shockwave, rushing through a ground bridge and leaving the smoldering remains of the Vehicons in the area. "Coward," Jack muttered as the rest of the Bots approached him, the remaining Cons destroyed or gone.

"Kal, are you okay?" Optimus asked as he approached.

Jack rolled his shoulders. "I'm fine Optimus, just got up close and personal with Shockwave a moment ago, took a cannon to the face, but I'll be fine." He looked up at the rest of the Bots. "How about the rest of you?" he asked.

"We are fine Kal; the Decepticons were not anticipating our arrival so soon," Optimus said.

Jack nodded. "Alright, I'm going to go check the inside of the ship real quick, and then we can bring it back to base; need to make sure there's nothing dangerous inside," Jack explained.

Optimus nodded. "Be safe," he said as Jack approached the entrance of the ship. Like all Kryptonian ships he'd come across, the entrance was a side door that was sealed shut. Shrugging, Jack shoved his fingers through the welds and with a heave ripped the doors open. Jack walked into the ship to find it was relatively small. He could only see a single large room with several small doors into other rooms.

He approached one of said doors and saw that it still functioned. Jack walked through the door and came to a stop at what he saw. It was a Kryptonian cryo-pod, still active. That meant the occupant might still be alive. Jack wouldn't try and wake them here; they needed to get the ship out of here.

Jack quickly rushed back out of the ship towards Optimus and the others. "Optimus!" he called.

"What is the matter Kal?" he asked.

"We need to get this ship to HQ, ASAP," Jack said.

"Whoa, wait a minute, why?" Smokescreen asked. "Didn't you just say this thing could be dangerous?"

"No, it's stable Smokescreen," Jack explained. "But there's an active cryo pod in there with a resident. In other words…" Jack started.

"Another Kryptonian," Optimus finished.

He looked down at the boy. "Very well, we shall get the ship to base as quickly as possible," Optimus said and radioed for a bridge. Several minutes later the group was carrying the ship through the portal into base, Jack supporting most of the weight.

_Autobot HQ…_

Everyone looked at the alien ship in stunned awe. Odds were they'd only ever seen Cybertronian ships and never any other. Jack had to admit; it was a realistic reaction. Kryptonian ships were always uniquely designed.

"Kal was right," Ratchet said as he finished a scan of the ship. "There is a single life sign within that ship, the rest is relatively inactive. Question is how do we get the occupant out?" he asked himself.

"I can handle that," Jack said. "My key should be able to interface with the ship and release whoever's in that pod," he explained.

"And if they're hostile?" Magnus asked. "You yourself admitted you could not defeat these Kryptonian soldiers in your universe. What if this Kryptonian reacts violently to you?" he asked.

Everyone seemed to reluctantly agree with Magnus, nodding their heads in agreement. Jack looked at captain shoulder pads. "I'm the best candidate for this Magnus. I have the dress for it, and this is one of _my_ people," he said. "I doubt they'll react violently to me, at least not as bad if they saw a giant robot staring at them when they woke up," he explained. There were a few indignant looks from some of the Bots but overall they agreed.

Jack's logic just made sense so it was agreed he'd awaken the Kryptonian. Jack leapt from the platform, likely giving his mother a mini heart attack and walked inside the open door. He made his way to the cryo room again and found a pedestal for his key to interact with.

He slid it in, and there was a slight whirring sound that emanated through the whole ship. In a flash of light, Jor-El stood before his son once again. "Hello Kal, I take it that our plan to stop Zod was successful?" he asked.

"More or less," Jack said, earning a questioning look from his father. "I'll explain later. Point is we have another dilemma," Jack said.

"Ah yes, the pod," Jor-El said. "I will check the ship registry for who it is before releasing them from the pod," he said, and his face changed into a frown.

"This…this can't be right," he muttered.

"What do you mean father?" Jack asked. He'd never seen Jor-El unsure of himself before. This was… unnerving to see.

"Who is in that pod?" he asked again.

Jor-El turned to him. "Her name is Kara-El, and she is your sister,"

Jack's jaw practically hit the floor. "Come again?" he asked weakly. A sister? Wasn't he his father's only child? That's what he'd been told anyway.

"She is your sister, Kara. I thought she and this ship had vanished before you were conceived," Jor-El said.

"Okay, wait a minute," Jack said. "I thought you said I was your only child, and that I was the first natural birth on Krypton. If that's true, how does she exist?" Jack asked, his confusion only growing.

"I never said you were my only child Kal," Jor-El started. "I said you were my only son, which you are. Kara is different from you in many ways. For one she was born how most Kryptonians are, through artificial means," he said. Jack nodded slightly. That explained a few things.

"But why didn't you tell me about her?" Jack asked.

A sad look crossed over Jor-El's face. "I did not want to worsen your pain by telling you of a sister who may or may not have been dead. You see, I had been fighting against the ways of artificial population control for years, even before I discovered Krypton's eventual fate. Kara was a part of that plan, for you see, though she was born by traditional means, Kara's genes were not modified to help her fit any one occupation. She was born with the freedom of choice, to learn what she wanted to do, what she wanted with her life. When I learned that Krypton was doomed, she volunteered herself to go to Earth to take care of you, to preserve Kryptonian culture," Jor-El paused, allowing Jack to absorb all this information.

Jack just swayed in place, shocked by everything he'd learned but needed to know one thing. "Why wasn't she there?" Jack asked.

"Something went terribly wrong. Her ship's phantom drive malfunctioned and we lost contact with her shortly after you were conceived. I'd assumed she'd been lost all those years ago. It warms my heart to know that for once I was wrong," Jor-El said, looking at the pod.

"Can you wake her?" Jack asked.

Jor-El nodded. "I can," he admitted. "But I would wait to tell her about me. She will have a lot to take in and little time to do it."

"One more thing," Jack asked. "Can she speak English? I don't know Kryptonian," Jack admitted.

Jor-El smiled. "Of course, she studied Earth's languages for several months before she headed off. She can speak English, French, Spanish, and German, all fluently," he said.

_'Wow,'_ Jack thought to himself. That was quiet impressive.

"I am activating the pod now. I will see you both again soon, my children," Jor-El said as his form faded.

There was a sudden loud hiss from the pod, and Jack turned to see it slowly opening. Steam billowed from the pod, and the door slowly opened fully. The steam obscured Jack's vision, but he could make out a slim figure emerging from the pod. The figure stood for a brief moment before falling to her knees and moaning in pain.

Jack immediately rushed to her side, remembering his own experiences adjusting to it. As he approached his…sister, he was able to finally able to make out her features. She looked to be about Jack's age and had long onyx black hair that was currently clumped together and stood nearly 6 feet tall, slightly shorter. She had pale white skin and a somewhat petite form. Jack blushed as he realized she wore no clothes and realized that of course she wouldn't.

Clothing in a cryo-pod would cause blistering or skin damage and be incredibly painful for anyone who emerged from the pod. He quickly removed his cape and draped it around the girl, who looked at him in shock.

"Hey, hey," he said softly as she weakly backed away. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. Can you understand me?" he asked softly.

She nodded hesitantly, clutching the cape around her body. "I'm a friend. My name is Kal-El," he said, and that got her attention.

"K-Kal?" she asked nervously.

Jack nodded, and slowly explained his and her own story to her and what had happened over the past sixteen years. She'd seemed a bit disbelieving at first when he told her about the Bots, but eventually started to believe him.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked as he helped her up from the ground. She stood against the wall with a hand to her head.

"T-tired, but better too," she said. "The… noises stopped," she said. The way she spoke suggested that she wasn't quite sure _how_humans used their language, just what the words meant.

Jack nodded. "With time, you'll learn to control your senses and other powers. For now you'll have to be very careful around others, okay?" he asked. She nodded.

Jack smiled a little. "Do you need help walking? I can imagine sixteen years in cryo can't have you feeling very good," he said.

She just nodded again, and Jack supported her, helping her walk out of the ship slowly. She shielded her eyes as Jack exited the ship with her and blinked a few times before they widened at the sight of the Bots. Everyone seemed shocked, as if they hadn't expected Jack to walk out of the ship with a naked teenage girl wearing his cape like a towel. Probably because they weren't. Murmurs could be heard through the base as people began talking to each other over this new arrival.

"Jack, who is this?" June asked.

Jack put a finger to his lips, asking everyone to stay quiet. Kara was still adjusting to her new hearing. "Her name is Kara-El," Jack explained. "She is my sister." The whole base fell silent.

**A/N: Okay, show of hands. HOW many people saw this coming. Be honest now. I've been planning on bringing Supergirl in for a while now and figured the crossover and Chapter 20 would be the perfect place for the introduction. The next chapter should cover Kara's integration into the base and show us what Zod and Faora have been up to. Also Elhini should be posting later today, she's a bit busy right now. Anyway, remember to review with Critique and PM me and Elhini with plot based questions or ideas. Bye!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Introduction

_**A/N: Warning, the following chapter is dark and full of feels. If you don't like that, turn back now.**_

_Somewhere in the Southwest United States…_

Zod scowled at the pathetic machine these humans used as vehicles. The truck had broken down several hundred miles from their objective and refused to start. It was full of fuel, he made sure of that, but it refused to work.

True Faora and Zod could run to the location easily but he wished draw as little attention to them as possible. As such they were now stranded on the side of the road while Zod tried to figure out how to fix the machine.

The rumbled of an engine caught his attention and Zod turned to see a large motor home pull over next to them. A tanned man wearing a baseball cap stuck his head out of the window and looked at the two.

"Having a little car trouble?" he asked.

Zod wore a neutral expression on his face "You could say that," he said.

"Well if you folks need a lift I'd be happy to take you to the next rest stop, it's about 50 miles up," he said casually.

"I appreciate the gesture," Zod said and he grabbed both Packs from the trunk and he and Faora walked into the motor home. It was a decent size with a small kitchen in the middle, a bedroom at the back and a television area between the drivers cabin and the rest of the vehicle. Zod sighed inwardly. A man of his importance shouldn't be forced to live in such conditions but for now he would have to tire through it.

"Names Steven by the way," the man named Steven said extending a hand. Zod recognized the gesture and returned it hiding his disgust.

"I'm Frank and this is my sister Elizabeth," he lied, using the ID's of the campers he'd stolen the equipment from.

"A pleasure," he said "That over there is my daughter Jennifer," he pointed to a small 8-year-old girl with a ponytail sitting at the table. Zod just nodded and the man sat back in his driver seat. Zod sat on the small couch across from the television as the vehicle began to move. Faora sat at the table across from the little girl, trying to ignore her.

The ride was in silence for several minutes, neither party really willing to speak. Zod was plotting his next move and Faora was simply trying to tolerate the ride without destroying the vehicle.

"Why is your hair so short?" the little girl asked.

Faora turned to her with a look of annoyance "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Your hair," she restated "why is it so short,"

Faora raised a brow at the girl and decided to humor her "If it's too long it gets in the way,"

The girl nodded as if it made sense "well I think you look very pretty," she said innocently.

Faora was startled by her comment. No one ever called her pretty. Sure she had heard the way other men talked about her behind her back, but that was expected. No one had ever actually complimented her.

"T-thanks," she said unsure of what to say now.

Jennifer seemed to have no problem with that and continued "I like my hair long but don't like it when it's in the way. That's why I keep it in a pony tail, so I can keep it long and pretty," she said with a hint of pride.

Even cold-hearted Faora couldn't help but smile slightly at the innocence of the child "So where are you and your father going?' she asked carefully.

"Where going to an amusement park before I have to go back to mommy," the girl said sadly. Faora's eyes narrowed in disgust as she remembered how humans liked to separate and toss their children between them. It was disgusting and careless, the parents often never considering how this affected the child them self.

"So your mother... is she bad?" Faora asked quietly.

"She's not bad, I just wish she and daddy would get back together," she said sadly.

The girl suddenly perked up, "Want to meet my special friend?" she asked suddenly.

"I... guess," she said unsure.

The girl rummaged through a pack she had beside her and pulled out a small stuffed bear "This is teddy, he's my friend," she said. Faora rolled her eyes at the girls belief that a stuffed bear could be a friend. Still, there was something about her sincerity and belief that almost made her believe it was alive as well.

"Mommy says he's not real, but I don't listen, he protects me at night from the monsters," she said hugging it. Faora felt an odd feeling in her chest as she watched the child. It was a feeling she'd never felt before but it felt... good.

Faora and Jennifer continued to talk while Zod was lost in his mind and Steve focused on the road. Faora learned much about the girl and started bonding with her. She wished the girl would never lose her innocence, it was something that the world needed. But, their talk was interrupted as the motor home came o a stop.

"Where here," Steve announced.

Zod stood and grabbed the packs and motioned for Faora to follow. Faora reluctantly followed when Jennifer called her "Wait!' she called.

Faora turned to the girl "I want you to have this," she said and pulled the small bow that held her hair in a pony tail "So you can let your hair get prettier without bothering you," she said with a big smile.

Faora smiled back and walked out the door holding the bow delicately as if it were a flower. Zod followed behind her when there was the sound of a loud rip. The armor in one of the packs tore through the fabric and crashed to the ground.

"What in the..." Steve said when he was interrupted by a blow to his face. His neck snapped and he fell over dead on the ground.

"Daddy!" Jennifer screamed and rushed to her motionless father.

She looked at Zod with tears in her eyes "Why!?" she cried with tears in her eyes.

"Stay here," Zod ordered Faora.

"General," she started and he turned to her. she stopped and stepped back. Zod was her officer there was nothing she could do.

Zod walked into the motor home and closed the door behind him. The vehicle rocked back slightly before stopping and Zod walked out dusting his hands.

"Loot it," he ordered "I am going to go find us a new mode of transport," he said and walked off.

Faora nodded reluctantly and walked in. The bedroom at the back was closed off and she had a feeling she wouldn't want to go in there. she quickly and solemnly searched through the area. She stopped as she came to the teddy bear. She'd dropped it when she came to her father leaving it alone.

Faora cradled it gently and tied the bow to the bears ear before placing it carefully in the pack. She flung it over her shoulder and walked out towards the general who had... procured a new vehicle.

"Was there anything of value?" he asked her.

Faora only shook her head. Zod accepted this and started the vehicle with Faora getting in on the other side. they drove off, seemingly at peace, but in her mind Faora felt sick...

_Autobot_ _HQ..._

The entire base was dead silent no one said a word at Jack's revelation. It seemed like everyone had not expected that, not expected him to have family. Then again he didn't either.

"Y-your sister?" June whispered, "You have a sister?" she looked about ready to faint.

Jack only gave a small smile as he helped Kara down the ramp. Her movements were still a little erratic and jerky, obviously adjusting from her time in the pod.

Several of the other boys seemed to suddenly notice that Kara was only wearing his cape, clutching it tightly. Every male, organic or not immediately averted their gaze from his sister, something he was grateful for. Last thing he wanted was for _anyone_ to start ogling his sister.

"Dusk?" Amber whispered, "Why don't you go get Kara a set of clothes…you two are similar in height. Well, she's shorter, but I think it'll fit better than mine, Dr. Williams or 'Lita's," she said quietly.

Dusk nodded and jumped to the floor below. Her wings flared to slow herself and she landed lightly. She approached the two as quietly as possible, clearly taking great pains to not make too much noise.

"Come with me Kara," she said softly. So soft Jack was amazed any of the humans could have heard it, though for him and Kara they heard it loud and clear. Jack was just grateful that Dusk was being so considerate of Kara's condition.

"My name is Dusk…I'm a friend," she explained. Kara turned her gaze up at Dusk and looked from her to Jack and back to her.

"We're going to get you some clothes…so that Kal will be able to have his cape back, ok?" Dusk asked. Jack was honestly amazed at how well she handled the situation.

Kara gave a slow nod and stepped forward. Dusk placed a comforting arm around her shoulders and lead her to her room. The two slowly walked out of the room and Jack turned to the others once they were gone. Every single person in the room had a very questioning look on their face.

Jack cleared his throat "I guess I have some more explaining to do?" he asked. Everyone just nodded. He sighed, this was going to be fun.

He sighed "Okay, first before anyone asks why I didn't mention that I had a sister, I didn't know myself up until I was about to get her out of the pod. My father told me," he said.

"But I thought you said you were an only child?" June asked weakly still getting over the shock. One super powered teen had proven difficult to take care of and the woman would be damned before she let this girl live alone.

"Turns out I was the only son. Kara was born artificially but without any genetic tweaking," he explained.

"Wait you weren't?" Amber asked. Jacks face turned a bright red and he ignored the question.

"Anyway," he continued "She was supposed to arrive on Earth before me to... take care of me as a child but something went wrong. Apparently her ships phantom drive sent her here instead," Jack finished his explanation.

"So exactly how old is she?" Miko asked.

"16, same age as me," Jack answered.

"Great," June muttered "As if one 16 year old was bad enough," everyone laughed at her complaints.

"Well hey at least we got another super powered teen to help us take it to the cons," Smokescreen said excitedly.

Jack shot the rookie a glare and he drooped "My sister has barely adjusted to Earth's atmosphere, it'll be days maybe weeks before she learns to control her powers," he said his voice a calm anger.

"Kal," Optimus said "you know that we would never force you or your sister to fight our war without consulting with you," he said.

Jack calmed down "I know Optimus I just... you didn't see her when she first got out of her pod, she was so weak and scared..." he cut himself off.

"Anyway,"" he said shaking himself of his sadness "It will take some time for her to control her senses or powers, so can I ask you all to be careful around her?" he asked.

"Of course we can," Sean said.

"Though quick question," Miko said "How much does she know about us?" she asked.

"I only explained the bare minimum to her, like where we are, what happened with me and the Autobots themselves," he said.

"So she doesn't know us by name?" Amber asked.

"Uh, no," Jack admitted "I wanted to get her into some clothes and figured it would be better to introduce you all," he said.

Jack nodded his thanks and heard footsteps coming from the hallway. He turned and smiled as he saw Dusk and Kara walking into the area. He was happy to see her smiling and walking less erratically. She seemed to be recovering quickly from her time in cryo sleep.

Dusk tossed his cape in his face as she walked by him "Hey," he said indignantly. Dusk smirked as she walked up the platform to her brother who explained a bit about Kara to her. Jack had a feeling Kara told her everything she needed to know though. He reattached his cape in a quick flowing movement before turning to Kara.

His cape reattached he turned to Kara with a smile "Feeling better?" he asked quietly.

She nodded slowly "Yes," she answered.

"I would like to introduce you to everyone else," Jack said, "but only if you're up to it, if you're tired or anything…" he said.

Kara shook her head "I slept long enough... don't need more," she said. Her speech was still broken and Jack had a feeling it would take some time for her to adjust.

Jack nodded and slowly led her up the stairs to the platform. Her movements may have become smoother but they still had a jerkiness to them and she was still a little unsteady. Jack simply took lead holding one of her hands as he led her up one step at a time.

Everyone was keeping relatively quiet because of Jacks request and he gave them all a thankful look. They were trying their hardest to make Kara's integration as easy as possible and for that he was thankful.

The pair reached the platform and Kara became more reluctant. Jack quickly realized it was because she was shy and nervous. Of course she was, these were alien people to her, she only really knew Dusk the rest she would have to get to know.

"Kara," he said softly "I'd like you to meet my friends," he motioned to the group that was assembled in front of them.

Oddly enough the first person to approach and greet her was not Amber or Miko but Sean "Hello Kara, my name is Sean," he said and held out his hand to shake.

Kara looked from his hand to him to his hand again in confusion "Your supposed to shake it," Jack whispered.

She looked at him in confusion "Why?" she asked.

Jack shrugged "I'm not sure myself, but it's a human gesture," he explained.

Kara nodded and lightly took his hand and shook it "Nice… to meet you," she said quietly. Sean smiled and took a step back allowing the others to greet her as well.

Ben was next "Names Ben," he said "part time engineering teacher, assistant to the bots, and Dusks boyfriend," he explained.

Kara looked at him confused "Boy… friend?" she asked "what's a… boyfriend?"

There was an awkward silence at her question as everyone tried to figure out how to answer her question "A boyfriend is kinda like… a test run before two people get married," Ben explained "To see if they are… compatible before committing,"

"Like an… experiment," she said. Her eyes almost seemed to light up at the word and Jack wondered if his sister was a bit of a scientist. He'd have to ask her later, there was a lot for them to talk about, Jack had only given her a brief over view of his life not the whole story. Basically, the two knew almost nothing about each other, that'd have to change.

"I guess you could call it that yeah," Ben said, happy the girl was starting to come out of her shell.

Next was Raf who quickly greeted her and returned to his work, and then Ultimus. That, was an interesting meet up to say the least. He approached the two and Kara looked back between Jack and his counterpart.

"Who…" she started.

"I'm Ultimus, your brothers counterpart in this universe," he explained.

Kara nodded as she remembered her brothers explanation of how they weren't in their own universe "Ah," she said and saw that he like Dusk was also had a sparking heart. It was simply much more stable.

"Your heart looks… like Dusks," she commented.

Ultimus raised a brow "Oh?" he asked.

"It sparks," she explained.

"Well Dusk is my sister so I guess there would be some similarities," he said.

That said Ultimus fell back to his original position by said sister. Now came for the next ones, Amber and Miko, the ones Jack feared. Those two were so wild he was afraid that they would bombard her with questions. The two approached simultaneously.

"Hi," they greeted in sync "I'm Amber," Amber said.

"And I'm Miko," Miko said.

"It's nice to meet you," Amber said softly "It's also nice to see Dusk picked out a nice outfit for you too," she said.

Kara looked down at the outfit that she was wearing. The shirt was a little long and loose, likely due to Dusks difference in height and build, and the pant cuffs were folded a little so she wouldn't step on them. She wore a pair of plain white sneakers to complete the outfit.

"Hey!" Dusk protested quietly "Are you saying I have bad taste?"

"Let's see…" Amber said "you wouldn't let me pick out your swimsuit for the pool party a few months ago…when it looked fabulous on you…" she complained.

"It was pink, it was lacy, and I was not going to wear it," Dusk growled darkly.

"I'm surprise you haven't pranked me for that yet…" Amber said warily.

Dusk let out an evil laugh "That's because you haven't found it yet," she replied nonchalantly. Ambers eyes widened and Jack felt pity for her. She wouldn't be getting a lick of sleep tonight.

Kara turned to her brother with a questioning look. Jack had a feeling this would become common place, he was her best link to human society so he'd be answering a lot of questions "What's a prank?" she asked worriedly "It sounds… bad," she said.

Dusks face immediately turned regretful at Kara's words and she tried to clear up the misconception "No no sweetie, a prank is just a harmless joke for the enjoyment of the prankster. People don't get hurt in pranks," she explained.

Jack's Arcee started glaring daggers at Dusk but the girl either didn't notice or ignored her glare "A… joke?" Kara said and became thoughtful for several seconds, clearly searching her mind for what the word meant. Her eyes widened as she made the connection and she did something Jack or no one else had yet to see her do.

She laughed at the realization for a handful of seconds before quickly calming herself. She noticed everyone looking at her in shock and seemed to shrink even smaller her face turning bright red.

"Did I do something… wrong?" she asked her voice becoming worried.

Jack felt his hear lurch at her question and moved to comfort her quickly "No Kara, you didn't do anything wrong, we were just happy to hear you laugh," he said quickly.

"If you don't mind us asking, what was it you were laughing at?" Miko asked.

Kara looked down at her feet scuffing the ground with her shoes "I was remembering when I would… prank… mom and dad back home," she said quietly. Everyone looked shocked by this Jack probably most of all.

"You… pranked… our parents?" he asked in disbelief.

"It was… funny," she said "dad would get… flustered when I did it. I stopped when things got more… serious," she said her face becoming sad. Jack had a feeling he knew what she meant by more serious. But then the image of Jor-El, the wise and calm man he knew acting flustered entered his mind and Jack chuckled.

Apparently Arcee thought the same thing and chuckled too, the others looking at them like they were crazy. Jack ignored the looks and quickly regained his composure before turning to Kara.

"There is one more person I'd like you to meet before we get to the bots'" he said.

Kara looked at him questioningly "Who?" she asked.

"That would be me," June answered softly as she approached her son and his sister.

"Kara, this is June Darby, my adopted mother," he explained carefully. He was terrified of how she'd react to this, whether it would be violent, neutral or grateful.

Kara looked at the woman wide eyed before slowly speaking "You… raised my brother?" she asked. The base was so silent a pin could be heard dropping in the next state over.

"I did," June said with a nod. What happened next no one expected.

Kara suddenly embraced June in a hug causing June to gasp in surprise "Thank you," she said "for taking care of my brother when I…" Kara stopped as a small sob escaped her lips.

Jack was shocked by this sudden turn of events. He'd expected Kara to be suspicious of June possibly even hostile towards her. This was not what he'd expected and he was glad his assumption was wrong.

"I-it was my pleasure," June said carefully "Your brother was a bit of a handful," she started.

"Hey," Jack retorted.

Everyone smiled and June pulled away from Kara "But it was worth it in the end," she finished.

"Thank you… so much," Kara said wiping away the tears. She turned to Jack "Is that… everyone?" she asked.

"All the humans," he answered "there's still the Autobots but if you need a moment…" Jack stopped as Kara put her hands on her hips.

"Kal," she started "I am not a child… I can handle this," she said sternly. Jack rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry, just used to people being more delicate then me," he admitted though he knew he had his moments when he was fragile as glass. His nightmares were evidence of that.

Jack then proceeded to introduce Kara to the Autobots, each one being a unique confrontation in themselves. Bulkhead and both Wheeljacks had been big and bombastic meetings and Jack had a feeling she'd be spending little time with them. Smokescreen stayed very polite and tried to act as nice as possible.

Bumblebee was interesting. He beeped a greeting to Kara before Jack could explain his name and what happened next stunned everyone.

"It's nice to meet you too… Bumblebee," she said slightly stumbling over the pronunciation of his name. Everyone looked at her in utter shock at her statement even Bumblebee.

The bot let out a few more buzzes and beeps "Of course I can understand you, why would I not?" she asked confused.

"No one else except the bots and Raf could understand Bee when they first met him," Dusk explained "And we're not sure why Raf could," she admitted.

Kara looked at them in bewilderment "You are… joking?" she asked. Everyone shook their heads in answer.

Kara smiled at this and Bee beeped a something at her. Kara just laughed at his statement "what did he say?" Jack asked.

She shook her head "I will not tell," she said mysteriously. Jack turned to Raf who shook his head. Sighing he continued the introductions.

Ultra Magnus's greeting was short and simple with the SIC giving a simple command to not cause any trouble around base. Jolt and Ratchet both greeted her, with Ratchet being his usual gruff self and Jolt constantly apologizing to her about his attitude. This universes Arcee simply said it was nice to meet her and then came the meeting he feared.

Jacks Arcee approached the two "I'm the other Arcee from your brothers dimension," she explained "He's my partner and it's good to see that you're adjusting to this well,"

Ultimus snorted "Partners," he whispered to Dusk jokingly. This earned him an elbow in the ribs and a confused look from Kara. A human might not have heard his sarcasm but Kara's hearing was still picking up noises that humans wouldn't.

"Why do you say 'partners' like a joke," she asked and another awkward silence consumed the base. Ultimus looked like he was trying to disappear while Jack looked like he was trying to make his head explode with his mind. Given enough effort that might have been the case had it not been for Arcee's interruption.

"Jack and I," she explained referring to her brother by his human name "are… in a relationship," she said.

Kara looked from her brother to Arcee to Jack again with a shocked look on her face. Her face softened "Ok," she said plainly.

Jacks head shot up, that was not the reaction he was expecting. He gave her a questioning look and she elaborated "I see nothing wrong with this, it is your lives, your freedom to choose… I would be… going against my own… morals if I wasn't ok with it," she explained.

She had a dissatisfied look on her face likely from her word choice. The flow of her words was rapidly becoming smoother but it seemed that her vocabulary was limiting her ideas. Jack had a feeling his sister was smarter and more clever than her first impression left on.

Arcee smiled at Kara "Thanks for being so much more accepting then… others," she said with a glare directed at Ultimus. Jack had mentioned his counterparts anger at their relationship and her opinion of the Prime was less than stellar.

"Indeed," Optimus said as he approached with Elita "Your wisdom exceeds your age Kara-El," he said.

Kara just stared at the Prime her head craned back. Optimus had always been tall but this one was huge standing nearly as tall as Draconus, whom Kara had not seen yet. So of course she was dumfounded by his size.

"W-who are you?" she asked finding her voice.

"I am Optimus Prime and this is my mate Elita-1," he said motioning to her "I am the leader of the Autobots and the father of Ultimus," he explained.

Kara looked from Ultimus to Optimus and back again, a process that she'd repeated several times that day "I can… honestly say I was not expecting that," she admitted and looked to Elita "And you are his… mother?" she asked.

Elita nodded "I am," she said.

"Well… that was unexpected," Kara said and turned to Jack, "Is that… everyone?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's everyone at base," he said.

A door suddenly slammed open "PRIME!" Agent Fowler screamed.

Kara immediately fell to her knees and grasped her ears in pain as the agent stormed in "Agent Fowler, please calm yourself," Optimus said quietly.

"I aint calming nothing!" he yelled "You were supposed to get rid of the cons so that our boys could study the ship given how it wasn't Cybertronian and now you've stolen it and brought it here!" he yelled pointing at Kara's ship.

Jack looked up from his sister whom was still in pain from Fowler's yelling and looked at the agent, his eyes red with anger. Everyone immediately stood out of his way, they'd learned by now that Jack's anger nearly rivaled Dusks when she hit her berserker rage, the ability she'd demonstrated against Jack in their initial encounter.

"And another thi-" Fowler never finished his sentence as Jack appeared in front of him with his hand clamped over Fowlers mouth.

"Quiet," he ordered. Fowler looked at the boy in shock. He'd never actually met Jack, but Optimus had reported who he was to Fowler and his superiors. Now he got some face to face time with Jack in an angry mood.

"That ship does not belong to neither the government or the Autobots, it belongs to my long lost sister, who is currently writhing in pain on the floor because you never learned to speak quietly," the whole time he spoke his voice never rose or fell frightening everyone.

Jack removed his hand "Now try again and speak quietly," he ordered.

Fowler looked at the boy who stood taller than he did before speaking "I think I'll return to my office and let my superiors know that the ship already has an owner," he said quickly.

"You go do that," Jack said and the Agent scurried off quietly closing the door behind him.

"Remind me not to tick you off… again," Ultimus said to Jack.

Jack just shrugged and made his way to Kara as quickly as he could. He kneeled next to her prone form. Dusk nodded understanding what he wanted and backed away.

"Hey," Jack said softly.

Kara just lay there muttering in Kryptonian. The way her words were coming out… Jack couldn't understand them but he felt what they meant, felt her pain and her fear.

Kara looked up at her brother weakly "T-too loud… it hurts… make it stop… please, it's too big…" she whimpered and shook violently.

An idea occurred to Jack "Then… make it small," he whispered "Kara, I want you to focus on my voice, pretend… pretend it's an island," he said his voice still soft and caring.

Kara slowly stopped shaking "Can you see it?" he murmured.

"I-I… I see it," Kara started, her voice still shaky.

"Swim towards it," he urged "Come to it,"

Kara suddenly stopped shaking and lowered her hands and opened her eyes. She blinked looking around as if seeing the world for the first time. Her eyes focused on Jack.

"It…it stopped…" she whispered as her brother helped her up, "And…you all look…normal. I can't see inside of you," she said happily.

Everyone looked at Jack and Kara in amazement. He'd managed to help hone her powers in seconds just by talking to her.

"Where'd you learn to do that, Kal?" Amber asked in quiet amazement.

Jack looked at his mother and smiled "From a very good teacher," he said. He could almost sense the pride and happiness radiating from his mother.

He placed a hand on Kara's shoulder and she turned to him "Come on," he said "I want to show you something," he said and slowly lead her to the base doors.

He wrapped a gentle arm around her waist "Hang on," he said gently and took off the ground with a gentle whoosh. Kal and Kara gently through out of the base and he heard his sister gasp as she saw the sky's of Earth for the first time.

It was almost time for sunset but the sun still hung high in the air. The sky was a bright vibrant blue with the occasional wisp of a cloud decorating the sky like delicate brush strokes. Jack flew higher and landed on a mesa overlooking the base. The two touched down gently and Jack let her go.

Kara looked up at the sky in amazement "The sky… it's blue!" she exclaimed, her voice being the loudest he'd heard. With her hearing under control Kara wouldn't have to keep it down so low.

She looked briefly at the sun before taking her eyes off it "And the sun… its yellow!" she said amazed a large smile on its face.

Jack was happy to see her happy but slightly confused as well "Didn't you know it would be yellow and blue when you volunteered?" he asked, when another question hit him "Wasn't Krypton's sky blue?"

Kara nodded still looking at the sky "I did, but this… seeing a reading on it and actually seeing it is so… different," she looked at her brother "Krypton had red skies, and a red sun. Everything was red," she said.

She looked back up and raised up her arms "But here… it's so clear so clean and so… young!"

A sad look suddenly set on her face and Jack knew what she was thinking "But you miss the red skies and sun, don't you?" he asked.

Kara turned to her brother and embraced him sobbing quietly "Hey, hey it's okay, it's okay," he crooned gently rubbing her back, a gesture he'd learned from his own parents.

"I-it just hit me," she sobbed "They're gone… they're all gone," she murmured "I-I'll never see the skies again. Never see the fields the mountains… My… Our home," she said and Jack felt the tears streak off her face "Never… never see mom or dad," her knees gave out and Jack slowly sat down with her in his lap still hugging him.

He wanted to comfort Kara, he really did, but he wasn't sure if he could. Sure he understood her loss but he spent his whole life on Earth never saw Krypton or knew their parents. He felt a twinge of jealousy at that thought.

Kara had known his parents and his home, something he never would. Jack shook himself, jealousy wasn't necessary, Krypton may have been where he was born and Kara's parents may have been his as well, but Earth, Earth was his home. June, and Robert were his parents, and in a way, despite all his hardships, Jack was lucky to have them.

Kara did not, and it was up to him to comfort her "Kara," he whispered and his sister looked up at him tears still in her eyes "our world maybe gone, but our home isn't. I know Earth can never replace Krypton, but it's been my home my whole life, and given time it will be yours as well. It's a chance for a new start, new friendships a new life," he said. Kara sniffed and wiped at her tears but remained silent.

Jack looked down at her "And you still have me, and my adopted mother. As far as she and I are concerned, you are family," he smiled "and Family always sticks together," he said. Kara stopped crying though her eyes were still teary.

"T-thank you Kal," she said. She got off his lap and sat beside him resting her head on his shoulder and the two watched the sunset. Brilliant colors of reds and purples arched across the sky painting a beautiful mural for the two.

"I-it's beautiful," she whispered.

Jack smiled as he remembered his countless times watching the sunset with Arcee, the woman he loved his girlfriend "Yeah, it is…"

**A/N: Oh god the feels! This is the fluffiest, darkest feelsiest chapter I have EVER WRITTEN. And I loved every second of it. Apologies for the late update, Elhini and I were both VERY busy over the weekend so had limited time to work on it. Regardless I loved this chapter and hope you guys do to. Remember to review with critique and PM us for plot ideas or questions. Or I'll send Zod after you… Bye!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Training

_The next day, Autobot HQ…_

Jack peacefully awoke from his first night here without nightmares, trying to remember all the events of the day before and where he was now. He remembered finding his sister, helping her adjust to the people and how he wound up watching the sunset with her until the moon itself came up. After that she'd actually fallen asleep, and Jack had decided to give her his spot on the couch.

Jack had wound up sleeping in Arcee's temporary quarters with his girlfriend. He had slept on her chest below her chin, and he found she'd put her servos over him protectively. Jack slowly eased himself out of her grip and hopped down, not wanting to wake her up.

Arcee stirred slightly, and Jack froze in place, but she quickly settled back into a peaceful sleep. With a smile Jack hopped from her berth onto the floor, making his way to the main hall. He could hear the gentle breathing of his sister as he entered the room and smiled. Despite a few tears yesterday, Kara had quickly integrated into the base. This was in part because of the people and Bots at base trying their hardest to integrate her into the base as painlessly as possible.

Jack walked up the ramp and smiled as he saw Kara sleeping peacefully on the couch. Truthfully, it was the most peaceful he'd ever seen her, and he wanted nothing to interrupt her first real sleep on Earth.

It was at that moment he heard footsteps coming from the hall and turned to see Miko and Amber trying to be quiet as they made their way to their guitar and drums. He frowned at this and was going to tell them not to do that when an idea crossed his mind.

Moving quickly, Jack appeared by the instruments and quickly removed the power chord from the amplifier and took Amber's drumsticks before fading into the shadows and waiting for the two. The two quickly sat at their instruments, and Amber quickly noticed that her drumsticks were gone.

"What gives? Where are my drumsticks?" she asked her partner in crime.

"I dunno," she answered, "but could you plug my amp in, I'm not getting any sound,"

Amber moved to do so and frowned, "Uh, Miko, the cord is gone," she said.

"What? Well, were could it be?" she asked, searching frantically.

Jack decided to make his presence known. He cleared his throat and chuckled as the two jumped. He emerged from the shadows, causing them to jump again, though he wasn't sure why. "Looking for these?" he asked slyly while producing said items in question.

"Give me my drumsticks," Amber ordered. "I mean it Kal,"

Jack frowned. "Did you forget who's sleeping up there?" he asked ,pointing to the platform. Realization hit Ambers face, and several seconds later it hit Miko's as well. "That's what I thought," he said.

A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he smiled evilly. "I don't think you'll be needing these for a long time," he said.

Jack lifted off the ground and flew to the rafters, ignoring the protests of Amber and Miko. He floated next to a beam and set the two items on top of it. Smiling to himself, Jack descended back to the ground to find an angry Miko and Amber waiting for him.

"Not cool," Miko said.

Jack shrugged. "Warned you I'd get you back," he said.

"Well, we're even so can we have our stuff back?" Amber asked.

Jack looked at her with an innocent smile. "Why, I may have gotten you back for destroying my ear drums yesterday, but I still have to get you back for spying on me and my girlfriend," he said. Looks of fear crossed over their faces.

"Sleep in fear," Jack said cryptically. A small moan from the platform caught his attention, and Jack was up there in seconds by his sister's side.

She held a hand over her eyes and her moans of pain had grown worse. "Kara, are you all right?" he asked gently. He was quite thankful Ultimus wasn't there; he'd never let him live this down if he saw how protective of his sister he was. Then again, Dusk had shown that she was tough despite her condition. Kara had not, at least not yet.

"My eyes," she said, "they hurt."

"Here, let me see," Jack said.

Kara slowly removed her hand and opened her eyes. Jack only had time to say a single phrase, "Oh no," before two beams of heat vision blasted him, sending him flying off the platform and into the ground below. Jack hit the ground like an anvil and left a small crater in the floor.

"Ow," he groaned and heard Miko and Amber laughing at him. Hard.

"Oh my gosh, Kal!" Kara said and ran to her brother, leaping off the platform and landing next to him.

"Are you all right? I'm sorry I didn't mean to…" Jack held up a hand to stop her, and he stood up.

"I'm fine; you just caught me off guard is all," he looked from the platform to his sister then at his now burnt shirt. "Looks like the rest of your powers are starting to come in," he said.

"I ugh…" she said sheepishly and looked at her feet.

"Hey, its fine," Jack said, Kara looking up at him as he spoke. "I was much worse when my powers came in, almost cut our home in half when my heat vision came in," he admitted.

Kara smiled at that, and Jack continued. "We just need to get you some practice with your powers is all, and you'll control them easily," he said comfortingly.

Miko and Amber finally made it to them since they were on the other side of the platform. Jack was not expecting to see Dusk and Ultimus as well.

"What happened?" Dusk demanded.

"Kara's powers are starting to fully develop," Jack said. "Might have taken a beam of heat vision to the chest," he finished.

"Yeah, we could tell," Ultimus said, pointing to his burnt shirt.

"Yeah…" Jack said before an idea occurred to him. "There more to the training room than just the combat protocols?" he asked.

Dusk smiled. "Of course," she replied.

_Later…_

Jack and Kara stood in the training room, along with Dusk, Ultimus, Amber, Miko and several of the Bots. Turns out there were a variety of different features in the training room, ranging from a target range to an obstacle course to a weight machine designed for Autobots. All three were active and would be essential in training Kara to use her powers.

Since her heat vision had manifested Kara had tried keeping her eyes forward, clearly afraid of looking at someone and hurting them. Jack tried telling her that unless she willed it they wouldn't come through again, but she refused to listen.

So Jack had had the room set up so the two could train. "Alright, I'll go through first so you can see what needs to be done and have an idea of what to do," Jack said. "There's no time limit, you're just learning to control your abilities," he explained.

Kara nodded and Jack stepped forward to the first part of the training course, the target range. He only had a single ranged ability but it was arguably his most powerful ability as well. There were four targets line up down the range, one at 10 yards, one at 25, one at 50, and one at 100 yards.

Jack looked from target to target, each time a brief flash of light blasting from his eyes. Each target had two neatly burned holes in the center of the target. Jack smiled to himself; his precision with his heat vision was one of the things he was proud of.

He moved to the obstacle course next. It consisted of high walls, pitfalls, a course with stunners on either side, and a long runway towards a single bell. Ring the bell twice, and the course was done. Jack took off like a shot, running at full speed.

He easily leaped the high wall flipping and twisting over the wall before landing on the other side legs splayed. He took off running across an open area when the ground opened up beneath him. Instead of flying off Jack let himself fall into the deep pit that was easily 20 feet deep. He kicked off the wall and kicked off from the opposite wall; repeating the process he kick-jumped across the pit before leaping out.

He landed with a roll and took off running, leaping, and ducking over various walls and obstacles. He slid across the ground and looked to see the long path with energy stunners on either side. Smiling to himself, he ran across the 100 yard stretch as the guns whirred to life.

Stun rounds flew through the air, quickly filling the air. Jack weaved and dodged the rounds, jumping and ducking underneath them. He continued running and emerged from the crossfire, running to the final section of the course, the runway.

It was littered with possible traps and Jack quickly sprinted across it. He felt his foot trip a wire and several holographic figures appeared, attacking him. Jack dodged the first one's punch, spinning behind it and slamming his fist against its neck. It broke into light before dissolving.

He dodged under the next one's and delivered an uppercut that sent it flying into the air, breaking apart as it did. The final figure sprinted at him and Jack grabbed it by the face before slamming it into the ground with a loud BOOM!

The figures finished, Jack ran to the bell and rang it twice, and the course ended. Jack smiled to himself and made his way to the final part of the training, the weight machine. It was a simple device with a large metal platform that a person was supposed to stand under.

The machine would slowly add weight and it was the job of the lifter to fight against it until they either couldn't handle the weight or the machine couldn't add anymore weight. It wasn't particularly challenging, just a good way to test his and Kara's weight limit to an extent.

Jack stood under the platform and placed his hands underneath it and waited for it to start. There was a slow whir and a boom as the first weight was added. The max weight he knew it could reach was roughly 200 tons, each weight weighing one ton to be precise. Jack felt the loud resounding boom echo through the room as each weight was added and felt nothing.

There was a sudden shudder as Jack felt two weights drop at once, and he smirked, a small little idea coming to light. Another two weights landed with a thud, and Jack feigned weakness, collapsing to his knee.

He heard voices call out in worry and he fell lower and lower as the weight lowered. He'd been counting silently and knew the next would be its last. There was a loud boom, and he fell on his other knee, and he could hear people running towards him.

Smiling, he suddenly stood and lifted the machine holding all the weight with a single hand. Everyone froze and gawked at him. "Did I scare you?" he asked with a smile as the machine shut down.

Jack stepped out from the platform, and Dusk went up to him "You jerk!" she shouted and socked him in the shoulder. "You had us worried sick!"

Jack rubbed the spot where she hit him and shrugged. "Hey, it was funny and consider yourselves got," he said. The glare from Dusk and Kara's worried look immediately made him feel both terrified and horrible for the joke. He probably should have thought that out better.

He looked to Kara. "Kara, you ready?" he asked.

His sister nodded. "I'm ready," she answered.

Kara walked to the target range, and Jack could sense her uncertainty. Apparently Dusk could as well and spoke to encourage her. "Kara, let it out. Those targets…they're not real; they're not living. You know that frustration you have? Let it out. Take your best shot," she said. Jack looked at Dusk with a thankful expression. The girl was as much help to Kara adapting as he was.

The edges of Kara's mouth twitched and her eyes blazed red. Jack watched in approval as the beams sliced through the 10 yard and 25 yard targets with ease. It seemed that her beams grew weaker the farther they got, and her aim and control of the beams could use work.

She cut through the 50 yard target and left the 100 yard target scorched. It still would have badly burned a human, but Kara looked a little upset. Jack, on the other hand, felt his chest swell with pride at how fast his sister was adapting to her abilities.

The range finished, Kara made her way to the obstacle course, and Jack watched with eager anticipation. He wanted to see how well she handled the course and her increased speed and strength.

Imitating her brother, Kara took off like a shot, scaling the first wall like a cat. She landed on the other side and sprinted through the course. Unlike her brother though, she wasn't expecting the pitfall and slid to a stop as it fell open, teetering on the edge, her arms spinning as she tried to keep her balance.

Jack felt himself and several others start forwards in case she fell into the pit. She quickly regained her balance and took a step back from the pit. Focusing, the girl coiled like a spring before leaping into the air towards the other end of the pit. She landed with a quiet thud, and Jack smiled with pride.

Kara kept moving, going slower than Jack now, but it made sense. She was making sure that she didn't make too many mistakes. Jack felt himself grow nervous as she approached the stunners and, unlike his performance, it was far more painful to watch.

Kara tried running through them, tried to imitate Jack's movements, but the rounds slammed into her regardless. He heard her let out several muffled, cries but to her credit, she did not fall. In fact, she made it to the bell and leapt up to it. She rang it once before she fell backwards. Getting back up, she climbed back to the bell and rang it a second time.

Jack smiled as she finished the course and made her way to the weight machine. Here Jack felt his most nervous. He and the others had no idea what the limits of her strength were. She could be as strong as Jack, weaker, or maybe stronger. If she was weaker though…Jack didn't want to think about the consequences of that.

Kara stood under the platform and lifted the weight easily. Jack waited for the moment when she would possibly give out, but to his tremendous relief that never happened. Kara effortlessly lifted all 200 tons, and Jack felt like a great weight had been lifted as she walked away from the machine.

Everyone else just seemed happy she had the decency to not try and trick them like he had. Jack could now understand why everyone had been upset with him over it. Watching Kara, he felt his heart was going to burst at some point from worry.

"How'd I do?" she asked nervously as she approached.

"You did fine, much better than I thought you would for your first time," Jack admitted.

Kara smiled at him, when Amber coughed to get their attention. "Well, now that training's finished for now, we have something just as important to focus on."

"And that is?" Kara asked, genuinely confused.

Amber smiled. "Duh, we have to go shopping for new clothes for you. You can't just wear the same thing the whole time you're here," she said.

"That'd be our cue to leave," Jack and every other male in the room, human or Autobot said in sync.

Jack and the others disappeared in a flash heading off in their own directions to their various rooms. It was still early morning, and since Amber and Miko weren't going to wake anyone up anytime soon, most of the base was still asleep. Including Arcee.

Jack quietly entered their room and saw that she was still in recharge on the berth with a peaceful expression on her face. Jack smiled as he got back on the berth and lay against her side resting his head back.

"Well, glad to see you're back," Arcee said, startling Jack.

"How long have you been up?" he asked as Arcee sat up.

"A few minutes, figured you'd gone to check on your sister," she said as she stood up. "How is Kara doing anyway?" Arcee asked. turning to him.

"Fine, her powers came in fully today, helped her get control over them," he said, feeling a little awkward. He still wasn't quite sure how to talk to Arcee. He'd never really been in a relationship with anyone before and found himself feeling awkward or unsure of himself. It didn't help that she was a good 15 feet taller than him.

Arcee seemed to sense this awkwardness and sat back down on the berth. "Something the matter?" she asked.

Jack looked up at her quickly. "No, no… Maybe," he admitted. Arcee raised a brow.

Jack let out a sigh. "I'm just… not used to all this," he said, motioning to the room.

"What do you mean 'all this'?" she asked.

"You me together… I've never really had a girlfriend before; I'm just not used to it," he said.

Arcee lowered herself to Jack's height before continuing. "Jack, I've been fighting a war that's lasted millennia. Do you really think I've had time to pursue a relationship?" she asked.

Jack looked at the femme with shock. "But what about Tailgate or Cliffjumper?" he asked carefully.

"Friends, partners," Arcee answered and leaned closer to Jack. "I miss them Jack, but the feelings I have for you, how I feel around you is different than I've felt around any other mech," she admitted.

"Wow, really?" Jack asked.

Arcee smiled coyly. "Really," she answered lovingly.

Jack looked into her optics and could tell she meant it. She really felt this way for him; he was truly special and unique to her, and not just because he wasn't Cybertronian. Then again, he felt the same way for her, and she wasn't Kryptonian so did it really matter that they were a different species? Jack wasn't sure, and he hoped he never found out.

All he could do was stare into her own optics while she stared back, their eyes transmitting emotions and feelings that they couldn't put into words. It was then that Jack realized exactly how close Arcee's faceplate was to his own face. Startlingly close in fact, and his eyes began to wander her faceplate.

He traced the smooth elegant curves of her face and helm, watched as they narrowed into the pink spikes on the side and top of her helm. And then they wandered to her lips. Despite Arcee being bigger than Jack in almost every way, her head and more specifically her face was only slightly larger than an average human face.

Jack decided he'd take a chance and closed the distance his lips pressed against Arcee's. There was only a moment's hesitation from the femme before she returned the kiss in earnest. So far the couple had only really kissed twice, both times Arcee had started the kiss. Now it was Jack's turn, and he'd moved in.

Jack and Arcee's lips moved in unison the two finally figuring out how kissing worked exactly. The two continued like this for several minutes before a cough at the door caused the two to break apart and look at the door.

Elita-1 stood at the door that Jack had stupidly left open with her arms crossed. "If you two are quite finished," she said, "Optimus wants both of you in the main hall; something's come up." And with that she left

Jack looked at Arcee awkwardly. "Guess we should get going?" he said his face red.

Arcee gave him a quick kiss before standing back up. "Guess we should," she answered and walked out, Jack close behind.

The two made their way into the hangar area to see that all the Bots and remaining humans were now awake and in the main area. Apparently Dusk and Amber had kept their word when they said they'd take Kara shopping, and Jack hoped they were keeping her safe. Humans could be brutal when they wanted.

"Glad to see you two could join us," Ultimus said, earning another glare from Arcee.

Optimus ignored the small exchanged and spoke. "Now that everyone is here, I can explain," he turned to the terminal. "Another Cybertronian relic has landed on Earth, though what relic we don't know." There were murmurs from the Bots in base, though Jack was confused. Had there been other relics as well?

"All we know for sure is that the Decepticons want this relic as well and have deployed a large force to defend the location while they excavate it," he explained.

He turned to Jack and Arcee. "Because Dusk is currently unavailable I had hoped you'd be willing to assist us in securing the relic," he said.

"If it means helping you get the advantage of the Cons, I have no problem with that," Arcee said.

Jack shrugged. "Don't need to ask me twice. I'd be happy to help," he said.

Optimus nodded and turned to Ratchet. "Open the ground bridge," he ordered, and the portal swirled to life. "Autobots, roll out,"

_Relic crash site…_

Team Prime plus Jack emerged from the ground bridge to a site that astounded them. Over 100 Cons littered the area, guarding and protecting the area, their arms in blaster mode. Seekers flew in patrol over head, and Jack saw that Starscream appeared to be in charge of the operation.

The area itself was desert area with dust being blown up by the high winds, weakening visibility and, for the Bots, getting sand in their gears.

"Great, gonna have to wash the sand out of my gears," Arcee complained. When she thought no one was looking, she gave Jack a wink, and the boy felt himself blush.

"Get a room," Ultimus grumbled in mech form. This was the only subject the two still fought over. It seemed Ultimus wasn't willing to let it go any time soon.

Jack opened his mouth to argue with his counterpart. "Quiet, all three of you!" Elita ordered, and the three grew silent.

"So what's the plan, sir?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Kal and I shall eliminate the Decepticon air force while the rest of you shall split into groups and attack the Decepticons from their weakest points," he ordered. The plan made sense, take out their air superiority and strike at key areas so as to cause them to route quickly, though Vehicons rarely routed.

Everyone nodded and split up, heading to different areas. "Be safe," Jack whispered over his private com with Arcee. His communication device that he'd been given allowed him to open private channels with any of the bots.

Jack turned to Optimus and nodded his readiness and the two took off. Optimus split off, taking on a squadron of five or six airborne seekers while Jack took on another squadron with the same number.

Jack did a quick roll to evade the blaster shots and collided with the head seeker mid air. There was a shower of sparks as Jack slammed his fist on the nose of the con, and it flipped over him. It quickly fell into the group of Vehicons below and exploded into a large fireball.

Jack turned mid air and delivered a roundhouse to the next Con. Metal groaned and twisted from the blow and sparks flew out of its thrusters before it joined its compatriot on the ground. Jack quickly flew in front of the next one and released a bout of heat vision, lancing through its wings and causing it to detonate in midair, raining debris on the Vehicons below.

By now the Vehicons themselves had begun focusing on Jack and opened fire, when blaster fire began ripping into the drones from multiple directions. The Autobots had begun their full assault on the Cons. They were screwed.

Jack let himself fall back onto one of the other Cons and grabbed hold of its wing as he did. Twisting, he flung it into the remaining two, and in a screech of metal they became one large ball of steel. Jack floated in the air and smirked at how easy this was getting. The Cons just weren't a challenge anymore.

"Optimus, I've handled the seekers over here. How are things on your end?" he asked.

"I have just disabled the last Seeker." There was a pause. "Allow us to assist the others," he said, and Jack saw him streak to the ground, peppering it with a pretty amazing looking chain gun.

"With pleasure," Jack said and dipped back. He plummeted to the ground, the wind whistling in his ears as he fell.

He crashed into a Vehicon on the ground, and a loud boom echoed through the area as the con collapsed into scrap from the force of the impact. Jack looked up at the Vehicons looking at him in shock and smiled. Time to recycle.

He shot forward to the first Con, who raised his blaster to fire. Jack bent his body to dodge the shot and kicked the crook of the drone's arm, causing it to crack and spark from the impact. The Con stumbled back, and Jack jumped from its arm, grabbing its head as he flipped over it. He brought his upper half forward and flung it forward, crashing into another two drones.

Staying in the air, Jack flew to another Con and began raining a flurry of punches on its faceplate. The Con started sparking, and Jack finished it off with an uppercut that launched its head into the crowd of soldiers.

By now, they'd opened fire on him, and Jack began to dodge and weave the blows, flying above the Cons. He needed to maintain air superiority, lest he risk being overwhelmed. He looked to see if anyone was being overwhelmed and saw that Ultimus and Smokescreen were being overwhelmed by the Vehicons, who seemed determined to take at least one life to offset their own losses.

Jack rocketed towards the two and crashed through the chest plate of a Con about to fire at Smokescreen, who was engaged in hand to hand combat with another. There was a loud crash and energon flew everywhere as he ripped a hole through its chest. The Vehicon stuttered once before falling on its back, offline.

"Whoa," Smokescreen said.

Jack looked at him. "You going to say that every time I pull off an incredible feat of strength?" he quipped.

Instead of responding, Smokescreen loosed a barrage of energon blasts directly behind Jack. He turned to see a Con that was going to stomp on him "Thanks," he said to the Bot. Smokescreen nodded and continued fighting, Jack joining the three.

Smokescreen delivered a right hook into a Con, knocking it to Jack, who delivered a flip kick that knocked it on its back, a large dent in its head. Jack leapt over the two and crashed into a Con that was flanking Ultimus and ripped his arm off. The Con looked at the stump that was once his arm in shock before a blade went through its head, and it went limp.

Jack dodged a descending foot and kicked off a rock back at the owner of said foot. He crashed into the face of the offender with a crash. He grabbed its head as it walked back and ripped its head clean off, tossing it at another Con engaged with Ultimus. It distracted the Con long enough for him to finish off the Con with a blade through the spark chamber. The Con fell back into the sea of soldiers, quickly disappearing.

Smokescreen let out a pained yelp, and Jack saw that he'd taken a blast in the side, energon seeping from the wound. Jack flew towards his comrade and shot his heat vision at the attacker, dismembering his arms. The Con fell on his back, unable to block the knockout punch Smokey delivered.

"Ultimus, cover us!" Jack yelled.

Ultimus nodded, and Jack approached the Bot "You gonna be alright?" he asked.

Smokescreen winced. "No, I got hurt pretty bad," he admitted. Jack confirmed this with a quick scan of his X-Ray vision.

He put a hand to his com. "Ratchet, this is Kal; I need a bridge; Smokescreen's been injured," he said quickly.

"_How bad is it?"_ he asked.

"Nothing serious, just a blow to the side, patch it up and he'll be fine, but he can't keep fighting." a blast hit near them, and Jack let out a small yelp.

_"You all right?"_ The medic asked.

"I'm fine," he growled. "Now, where is that bridge?" As if in answer, it swirled to life away from the battle line.

"Ultimus, help Smokescreen; I'll cover you!" Jack yelled.

The young Prime nodded and fell back, helping Smokescreen to his feet. Jack knew he couldn't handle all these Cons at once; he was too small. So he improvised. Jack began flying in circles around the group for two reasons. One was to draw their fire, the second the Cons found out soon enough.

Dust and debris began kicking up, and in no time a large tornado engulfed the Cons, blocking their sight. Jack flew out of the tornado and smiled. That would be enough to slow them down for now. Jack felt something hit him and went flying into the ground. He pushed up sand and dirt as he slid into the ground. He opened his eyes to see that it was Starscream.

"Did you learn nothing from our last encounter Screamy?" Jack asked sarcastically.

The seeker snarled and put a foot on Jack, arming his arm mounted missile. "This time, I shall not miss," he growled.

Jack was about to break free of his foot, when something slammed into Starscream, causing him to fly back into a large rock formation. Jack was shocked to see his sister Kara standing there, an angry look on her face.

"No one threatens my brother!" She yelled at Starscream, who was standing back up.

"Kara, what are you doing here!?" Jack demanded. "You aren't ready to fight the Cons; you still need to train!"

Kara opened her mouth, when a large explosion engulfed her. Time seemed to slow as her now limp form went flying back into the ground. Jack stood and stumbled towards her as the smoke cleared. Kara laid on the ground, her eyes closed and limp. Her clothes were singed, and she had some small cuts and bruises.

Jack fell to his knees beside her. "Please…no, Kara, please no!" He sobbed. No response. "Kara!" He screamed and he lifted her in his arms and put his head to her chest and felt no heart beat. She…she couldn't be gone…He'd just found her.

"Well, not my intended target, but at least that's one less annoyance," Starscream said nonchalantly.

Jack snapped. "GRAAAAAGH!" He screamed loudly, his voice echoing through the entire area. Every Bot and Con froze as he screamed, and those closer covered their audio receptors in pain.

Jack stood slowly and turned to look at Starscream. The look plastered on his face was a look of calm rage, no expression…Except in his eyes. His eyes were pure glowing red, no other color, no sign of emotion, reasoning, or logic. Jack had lost complete control of his rage. The last time this happened, three men had died. Now, there was an army between him and Starscream…The army was doomed.

Starscream stumbled back and immediately began to flee. "Decepticons, kill the human!" he ordered as he ran through the ranks, who were converging on Jack. It was too crowded for him to transform, though it wouldn't have made a difference.

There was a loud clash, and several Vehicons went flying into the air, at least, what was left of them. "STARSCREAM!" Jack screamed, his voice echoing across the plane. Starscream let out a cry of fear as Jack shot high into the sky, ignoring the massive number of Vehicons.

They were an obstacle, and like all obstacles, had to be removed. Jack's eyes started glowing an even brighter red, and instead of two beams emanating from his eyes, something far more terrifying occurred: Two massive waves of energy large enough to encompass said army of Cons streamed from his eyes, instantly killing any Con in his grasp.

He slowly looked up and the army and the Cons tried to run, tried to get away, but any touched by the beams fell to the ground in pain, and liquid metal poured from their joints, the beam not hot enough to completely burn through their armor, just make it burning hot.

The beam stopped, and Jack blinked bloody tears from his eyes. This was the most he'd ever used the vision before, and the damage he'd caused was catastrophic. Every Con in the area lay on the ground, dead or as useless scrap metal. Only Screamer and his personal guard remained.

Starscream looked over the remains of his forces in horror. "Take to the skies, run!" he screamed and turned to transform and take off. Only to come face to face with Jack. "H-how did you…" Starscream's question was interrupted as Jack killed his two remaining guards without moving, using only his heat vision.

Starscream snarled suddenly and aimed his blaster at Jack, firing point blank several times, creating huge amounts of smoke from the blasts. "Ha! I'd like to see you survive…" His sentence trailed off as the smoke cleared to reveal Jack without a single scratch.

Starscream gaped in horror when Jack grabbed the blaster. With almost no visible effort, he tore the arm off, wires and metal snapping from the sudden force. Starscream howled in pain as Jack ripped his entire arm, shoulder and all, off and proceeded to tear it in two. He fell on his aft and started scooting back using his remaining arm to try and fend off Jack.

It was in vain, Jack landed and grabbed him by the heel and heaved, flinging Starscream into the ground before repeating the process several times. He let go on the third time and Starscream tried standing, only for his leg to give out.

Jack flew up to his face and head butted the cowardly seeker, sending him flying against a rock formation. He started whimpering in fear as Jack slowly hovered towards him, his eyes still radiating red. Jack thought he might have heard someone call him, but he was too far gone to listen if he had heard someone.

"P-please…h-h-have m-mercy!" Starscream begged, tears streaming down his face.

Jack grabbed his chin. "You don't deserve mercy," he snarled. That said, Jack shot into the air, dragging the seeker with him by the chin.

He flew thousands of feet into the sky before stopping. Once he stopped, he punched Starscream in the optic…hard. There was a loud snap and the sound of shattering glass, and he shot to the ground, crashing hard.

Jack landed in front of the seeker, his now dismembered jaw still held in his hand. Starscream looked up weakly his left optic shattered at the Kryptonian in fear.

He tried moving away, but his whole body was covered in dents, his wings bent or shattered from impact, and Jack dropped his jaw on the floor. "You die…NOW!" he screamed and walked calmly towards Starscream.

"JACK!" a voice screamed. Jack froze, the small part of his mind not lost to his rage recognizing the voice.

He turned to see Arcee, his Arcee standing a small distance. "Stop, now, you're going too far," she said more gently.

"He…killed…Kara," Jack said angrily, though his rage was already dying.

Arcee shook her head. "Kara's not dead, unconscious," she explained.

The red in Jack's eyes faded immediately, revealing the bloody tears in his eyes. "She's… alive?" he asked weakly, the toll of what he'd done taking effect.

Arcee nodded. "Yes, just unconscious, she'll be fine," she said softly.

Jack's knees gave out, and he fell on his hands, tears dripping from his eyes and staining the ground red. "Leave," he ordered Starscream, his voice hoarse. "NOW!" he screamed, slamming a fist into the ground and cratering it.

The seeker called for a ground bridge and crawled through, leaking Energon as he did. Jack looked up at Arcee. "I'm…so…sorry," he said before he fell to the ground unconscious…

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack weakly opened his eyes to see a bright light shining in his eyes. It took him a moment to realize that it was the light of the base and that he was lying on a medical berth…For the third time in three days.

Jack sat up and winced. His whole body was aching all over and he remembered why. He'd lost it, thought his sister was…gone. He'd slaughtered that army and nearly killed Starscream in his fit of rage, all because he couldn't control his temper!

Jack took a deep breath, calming himself, and noticed he was actually alone in the med bay for once. No one was watching over him. He got off the berth, his body's pains fading away, and saw Kara lying unconscious, her chest rising and falling slowly. He wasn't completely alone.

Jack approached her and pulled up a chair, sitting next to her. He lightly held her hand and let the tears fall from his face. "I'm never leaving you again," he whispered. Jack felt his head and eyes droop and slowly fell asleep by her side.

As he fell asleep, Kara's hand slipped on top of her brother's, and a small smile appeared on her face.

_Later…_

Jack woke again, realizing how exhausted he must have been to have fallen asleep so quickly, He looked at the berth and found that Kara was gone! Quickly getting up, Jack made his way to the main hall, hearing the others talking amongst themselves.

The Bots fell silent as Jack walked in, and he hung his head in shame. After that little display, he wouldn't be surprised if they had him confined to his quarters. They would have every reason to. He was a teenager with a temper problems and the powers of a god. He was dangerous to everyone, even those he cared about.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Kara with a concerned look on her face. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked with worry.

"I'm fine…I should be more worried about the rest of you…I could have seriously hurt you if I…if I hadn't regained control." Jacks head fell back down, and he felt the tears flow. This, his emotions, was his greatest shame.

"Ah, were fine Kal," Bulkhead said dismissively. "Though I got to wonder, why didn't you use that heat wave earlier?"

Jack said nothing and looked back up at the Wrecker. Much of his body had healed, but his eyes would take time, and bloody tears were streaking down his face. "That's why," he said weakly. "If I use it in large amounts…the strain can knock me unconscious…Maybe even kill me." The base fell into a morbid silence at this revelation. Jack had shown how tough he was, and it shocked them all to find out his greatest enemy was himself.

"But it didn't," Arcee, Jacks Arcee, said. "You kept control, you didn't kill yourself, and you're still here," she paused. "Despite what you think Jack, you're not weak, and you're not an emotional monster." Jack looked at her when she said that. It was as if she was reading his deepest fears and comforting him about it.

"You're a teen, and you're just acting like how one would with concern for your sister," Arcee said. Jack looked to Kara and smiled weakly, a smile she returned.

"You're also the man I love," Arcee said, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Several groans could be heard from everyone. "Oh God my eyes!" Miko screamed. "Please do that in private!"

Jack smirked and kissed Arcee again, earning more complaints from everyone. Jack smiled and stepped back and looked at Kara. "Next time," he said. "Wait for me to get home to show off your new outfits, okay?" he joked.

Kara smiled at his little joke, and the base descended into a happy peace…

_Elsewhere…_

Zod and Faora climbed to the peak of the hill, dressed in all grey armor, overlooking the Vehicons below. They milled about, carrying the mineral known as energon to and fro to a large yellow shaft that ascended into the spiky outline of the Nemesis.

Zod smiled. Soon his revenge would begin, and this time Kal-El wouldn't stop him. Earth would be his, his people revived, and he and Faora would rule all.

**A/N: So yeah this chapter. Jack scared the bejeebus out of me writing his breakdown, so sleep in fear. Also, if you want to see Kara's little trip with Mmber and Dusk, check out Elhini's side of the fic. I know you want , remember to review with critique, PM me and Elhini with plot Q's or ideas, and if you don't berserker Jack will come after you…****_sleep in fear._** **Bye!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:Emotions

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack stood on the platform overlooking the main hall with Kara and his mother, having since calmed down from his emotional state. Now he was enjoying the peace of the base while Ultimus and the others pestered Ratchet. Well, all but one, Dusk. Jack hadn't seen her since he'd gotten back to base and wanted to thank her for keeping track of Kara and bringing her back to base when she was injured.

According to his counterpart though, Dusk had gone into her own berserker rage on the battle field and was avoiding everyone. Jack was a bit upset by this but understood why, losing control and seeing what that can do to someone… It can hurt.

"So… what exactly does this thing do?" Ultimus asked poking at the relic they'd recovered.

"Ep, ep, ep!" Ratchet snapped swatting at his servo "Don't touch!" he ordered.

"He always like that?" Kara asked.

"Pretty much, the one from our dimension is even crankier," Jack said with a smile.

"Great," Kara mumbled and Jack chuckled. It seemed his sister really was starting to lose her shell she'd had when she first showed up and was integrating with the base nicely.

"Oh, come on," Ultimus groaned regaining our attention "You can tell me Ratchet," he said innocently.

The medic glared at him before turning back to the relic ""From my research on the relic, and from extensive study, I…" Jolt cleared his throat.

"We," Ratchet corrected "Believe it is a Mass Shifter,"

"Speak English please," Ben said as he leaned against the rail. Jack shot him a look, it was pretty obvious what the device did, but it was best to let him have his blonde moment.

"Basically, it can make an Autobot human sized," Jolt clarified, "Or possibly vice versa," Jack noticed Arcee's head look up as if this revelation had caught her attention. Jack had to wonder, what was the femme planning?

"So…basically what Jack does?" Miko asked.

"The concept is similar," Ratchet sighed, "But nothing can achieve the same outcome as a Prime's Legacy. It won't turn the Autobot into a human or human into an Autobot, it will just make them the same size as one another,"

"So…I could be as big as Bulkhead?" Miko asked. Jack shivered at the idea of Miko being bot sized. Apparently Sean thought the same thing.

"You cause enough trouble that size," Sean pointed out, "Imagine the damage you could cause if you were 'Bot sized," he said. Miko stuck her tongue out at him.

"So how does it work?" Ultimus asked.

"Why would you even need it?" Amber demanded, "You can switch back and forth whenever you choose!" she had a pretty valid point there, Ultimus could become whatever he wanted with a single thought.

"I'm just asking!" he protested "just in case something happens and I need to know," Jack raised a brow, there was more to his question then just simple curiosity, at least, that's what he thought.

"Until I am for certain that this isn't dangerous, none of you are coming anywhere near this thing," Ratchet snapped, "Now go on! Get!" he gestured his servo's in a shooing manner and the group around him scattered.

Ultimus walked down one of the halls, and for some reason Arcee followed. Jack had to wonder what she was up to, but it wasn't his job snoop. He'd leave that to Miko and Amber.

Arcee followed Ultimus down the hall nervously. She'd been working up the courage to ask the Prime about this for a while and figured now was the perfect time. Hopefully, he would oblige and not let his little attitude get in the way.

Ultimus finally noticed her and turned towards her with a neutral expression on his face. It was pretty obvious he was trying to figure out which Arcee she was to avoid any confusion.

"Arcee," he greeted.

"Ultimus," she nodded and saw the flash of connection in his eyes. Calling him by his Prime way was clearly the best way to tell her apart from her double.

The two stood apart in an awkward silence before Ultimus broke it "Is there… something I can do for you?" he asked.

"Actually, yes," she answered "Can I talk to you in private?" she asked.

He shrugged and motioned for her to follow, and the two walked to a more private area. Whilst this was going on, Jack was looking for Dusk, so he could talk with the halfling.

Jack wandered the darkened hallway, when he saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly to see Dusk walking quickly down one of the halls away from him. Wishing to speak to her Jack followed.

"Hey Dusk!" he called "Wait up," he said. Instead she seemed to speed up moving faster. Jack looked at her confused, why was she avoiding him? There was only one way to find out for sure.

Jack took off like a shot, leaping over Dusk and landing lightly in front of her. The girl stopped and backed away slowly from Jack, causing him to give her a confused look.

"Dusk, I just want to talk," he said. It was then that his eyes noticed the dried Energon on her hands.

He took a step forward "You okay?" he asked with concern.

"Stay back!" she warned, backing up further "I don't want to hurt you,"

"Hurt me?" Jack asked disbelieving, Dusk had tried that already, it hadn't ended well.

Jack took another step forward "Stop!" she growled small flames flicking up her fingers.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "What happened,"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

But Jack being ever persistent continued "You can tell me," he said gently.

"I'd rather not," she muttered "it doesn't concern you,"

"It might," Jack countered. He didn't understand why Dusk was being so withdrawn all of a sudden, she was never like this.

"It doesn't!" she emphasized "It's my problem,"

Jack frowned and decided to bring up the subject fully anyway " You have Energon on your hands, why?" he asked.

Dusk clenched her hands tightly at his question, both wincing at the crackle of the dried Energon. It sounded like the crunching of dried leaves in fall. Old and stale, ready to break at the slightest movement.

Dusk was silent for several seconds before speaking "I had a leeeettle problem with my temper on the battlefield," she finally ground out.

Jack's face grew more understanding. Now he knew why she was so withdrawn, she felt ashamed for losing control on the battlefield like he had. Jack moved to try and comfort her.

"I know how it feels to lose control an…" he started.

"NO YOU DON'T!" she shouted, "I CAN'T control it! I CAN'T even remember what the frag I did! You at least know what you've done and can apologize for it! I CAN'T! I black out and don't remember the details until many years later! My first blackout was in Chicago! Where my guardian DIED! Right in front of me! I watched him get stabbed in the spark and there was nothing I could do about it! I blacked out and the next thing I know, I was standing over a bloody, shredded, 'Con corpse because I had lost it! And worst part was…Amber was standing right there. Watching. She watched me rip the 'Con to pieces. Not even stopping after it was dead!" Dusk fell to her knees.

"The reason you lost it out there on the battlefield… was because of me," she said quietly.

Jack looked at her strangely. Why did Dusk blame herself for what Kara did. He knew that Dusk had followed her through and gone berserk, but Kara was the one who'd attacked a con with no prior training.

He opened her mouth to tell her this "Starscream shot Kara, that's why I…"

" I wasn't watching her," Dusk muttered, "She slipped out and we were separated. She got shot because I wasn't looking," she said sadly.

She seemed to brace herself as if she expected Jack to start yelling at her and attacking her. Jack was more confused than anything. Jack kneeled next to Dusk and put a hand on her shoulder, ignoring her flinch.

Jack sat silent for several seconds then spoke "That wasn't your fault," he said softly.

Dusk looked up at him in shock "What are you talking about, I let my rage get the better of me and let her wander off… If I'd kept control,"

Jack gave her a hard look "Dusk, I knocked you out in berserker mode when I was tired and disoriented with minimal sun exposure. You wouldn't have stopped Kara from being that reckless if you'd tried," he said.

Dusk looked at him suspiciously "You really think that?" she asked.

Jack gave her a sarcastic look "Dusk I know that," he said "You wouldn't have been able to stop Kara at all, because you couldn't hurt her, and trust me, when a Kryptonian wants to get somewhere, no force on this Earth can stop them," he said only half joking.

Dusk's features softened into a thankful look "Thanks Kal, guess that makes-" a loud boom cut her off catching the two off guard.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"Don't know, could have been an accident in Ratchets lab," Dusk said as she stood.

"Lets go check it out then, make sure no one got hurt," Jack said and began walking forward.

"Wait, Kal," Dusk said. Jack turned to her "Thanks for the talk," she said.

Jack smiled "Anytime," he responded and the three took off jogging into the main area, moving through the maze of corridors.

"How do you guys get anywhere when this place is such a maze?" he asked as they ran.

"You just get used to it," she responded.

Jack shook his head, he'd never get used to the maze that Cybertronians seemed to like putt in their base of operations. Eventually though the two did make it into the main hall. They ran to Ratchets main lab where smoke was billowing everywhere.

The two came to a stop right as the smoke began to clear and their jaws dropped with what they saw next. Ultimus was heaving and hacking trying to clear his lungs of the smoke, but it was the person next to him that caught their attention.

Arcee, Jack's Arcee stood next to him waving her hand to clear the smoke but she was… different. Instead of standing 20 feet tall, the Amazonian Cybertronian stood only 6 and a half feet tall, still taller than Jack but slightly taller than Dusk as well.

Jacks jaw hit the floor as the smoke completely cleared and Arcee noticed him and the others "Why are you staring at me?" she asked. she looked down at herself and seemed to notice she was nearly a quarter her original size for the first time.

"Well what do you know, it worked," she looked up at her boyfriend and smiled "What do you think?"

Jacks only response was a loud thud as he fainted landing spread eagle on the floor. There was a lot that he could take in one day, but this had been too much and his brain had shut down.

"Jack!" Arcee yelled in concern and rushed to his side, kneeling by him.

Dusk meanwhile was still staring at her in shock "How did… when did?" she asked her jaw still hanging.

Ultimus walked up to her "She talked me into using the mass shifter we picked up to shrink her to Jacks size since I wouldn't make her Kryptonian," he explained.

He looked at his unconscious counterpart whom Arcee was still trying to wake "If I'd known he'd react like that I might have obliged her just to watch his head explode in shock," he said with a chuckle.

Footsteps echoed against the floor and the two looked up to see Sean, Amber, and Miko running towards him "We lost doc bot and Jolt," Miko explained and then the three noticed the unconscious Jack and human sized Arcee on the floor.

The three just stopped and stared for several seconds before reacting exactly how one would expect them to react. They howled with laughter at the site of Jack on the floor, Amber the hardest.

"O-oh m-my God!" she laughed wiping tears from her eyes "He actually fainted, I thought that only happened in the movies!" she doubled over laughing again.

"A-apparently not," Sean said in agreement as he fell on his rear laughing and laughing.

"M-my sides," Miko said," they h-hurt from laughing,"

Arcee looked up at the two with an annoyed look and the laughter almost immediately ceased. There was a small groaning noise as Jack slowly regained conscious and weakly opened his eyes.

He looked around wearily before his eyes settled on Arcee "A-A-Arcee?" he asked his voice cracking as he did.

"Yeah, it's me Jack," she said with a smile. Jack fainted again, eliciting more laughs from everyone even Ultimus and Dusk. Arcee chuckled to, the first time had been worrisome, but now it was just hilarious.

"What's going on here!?" a gruff voice demanded.

Everyone froze and turned to see Ratchet standing there angrily "Well, is someone going to explain why Kal is unconscious on the floor and Arcee is the size of a human?" he asked.

"Weeeelll," Ultimus started biting his lip as he looked at the medics innocently "All I can say is…"

He suddenly jumped to his feet and pointed at Arcee "SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT! SHE'S THE ONE YOU WANT!" he yelled.

Arcee looked at him in shocked disbelief "I can't believe you just sold me out!" she screamed angrily.

"Hey, I am not getting wrenched for you," he said, looking back to Ratchet and Jolt "I'm still a kid,"

Jolt looked like he was trying not to collapse in laughter and Ratchet just scowled at the Prime "Ok, ok so what if I try to constantly get in on the action on the battlefield?" he cried defensively "WHO HASN'T?"

Dusk pinched her nose "Jack, just shut up," she muttered.

Ultimus opened his mouth to protest when Dusk slapped him upside the head. Arcee wouldn't admit it but… she giggled at that little exchange between the two.

"Shutting up," Ultimus muttered, rubbing his head from the pain.

"HEY!" Sean protested "That's MY line," he said.

"Well I just used it," Ultimus replied.

"Why don't you girls go have your little hissy fit somewhere else," Dusk growled, "Arcee, why don't you explain everything to Ratchet and Jolt,"

Arcee looked up from Jack who was still unconscious when Dusk addressed her "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Explain to Ratchet and Jolt why you're like that," Dusk repeated.

Arcee looked from Dusk to the two medics and suddenly felt very small, and not just for the height difference. She slowly stood up and realized why the humans were always so nervous around them. Compared to a bot, a human was tiny.

Arcee fidgeted slightly as she tried to find her voice, not sure why she was acting this way. She'd faced down hundreds of cons, a pissed of Kryptonian, and the wrath of this universes version of her older sister. Why couldn't she handle this?

"I may have… used the mass shifter… to shrink myself so I could…" she paused her faceplate turning bright blue.

"Could what?" Ratchet demanded though his anger had subsided by now.

"Primus this is embarrassing," she whispered to herself before looking up "So I could… be with Jack," she finished.

Jolt suddenly broke down into fits of uncontrolled laugh and Ratchet glared at her angrily "You're kidding," he said.

Arcee's head drooped, she felt like a child getting scolded not a soldier being reprimanded "I'm… not,"

Ratchet raised a brow "Arcee, you do realize the danger's that the relic could have possessed, you could have been seriously injured," he lectured.

Arcee looked at him angrily "I'm not a child Ratchet, I was aware of the risk, it's just the benefits…" she trailed off looking at her still unconscious boyfriend.

Amber gagged "Okay, ew, that's all, just…ew," she said.

Ratchet ignored her and continued to glare at Arcee "Well I think I know a suitable punishment for you," he said.

"Which is…" Arcee asked terrified of the answer.

"Simple," he said "You'll be confined to the base until we return you and Kal home," he started.

Arcee nodded "That makes…"

"Ep, ep, ep," he interrupted "I'm not finished, and you shall remain that size until then as well,"

Arcee's optics widened in horror "You can't be serious!" she yelled "If the others see me like this…"

Ratchet smirked "Perhaps you should have thought that through better than before you allowed emotion to cloud your judgment," he said.

Arcee glared at him "I'll get you back for that… _Hatchet_," she said angrily and stormed off, heading up one of the platforms.

Everyone looked at Ratchet "You sure know how to deal out the punishment," Miko said.

"Keep that in mind the next time you want to pull a stunt like this," he grumbled and went back to his work.

It was at this moment that Jack began to wake from his second bought of unconsciousness "Well what do you know," Amber said "Sleeping beauty awakes,"

Jack rubbed his head "What happened, last thing I remember was an explosion, some smoke, and a… human sized Arcee?" he asked in confusion.

"Not a dream Kal," Ultimus said helping his counterpart up "Your Arcee tried convincing me to make her Kryptonian, when I refused she convinced me to help her get Ratchet and Jolt away from the mass shifter. We just didn't expect it too…"

"Explode?" Dusk finished.

Ultimus rubbed his arm "Yeah that," he said.

Jack held up his hand "So wait, Arcee's human sized?" he asked.

"Until you go home, Ratchet's punishment, she's confined to base and she is forced to be stuck human sized until then as well," Dusk answered.

"And I imagine she wasn't happy about that?" he asked though the answer was obvious.

"About as happy as you'd think," Sean said.

Jack shuddered slightly, he had an idea of how she'd react to a situation like that. A sudden thought occurred to him, Arcee was his size now and stuck in base, same as him, though he mostly chose to stay because he could see the smoke from Jaspers ruins.

"Where exactly is Arcee?" Jack asked.

Dusk smirked "I was wondering how long it'd take you to ask that," she said and Jack blushed slightly "She's up there," she said pointing to the platform where the humans usually hung out.

And like that, Jack was gone, reappearing at the top of the stairs by the platform. He heard the snickers and gags from the others but ignored them. Right now he needed to talk with his girlfriend.

Jack looked at the area and saw Arcee, her back turned to him and her winglets raised high in anger. She was obviously still upset with Ratchets punishment and was clearly thinking of ways to avoid the other bots. Her biggest worry at least Jack would think so, would be encountering her counterpart and Elita in this form.

They would _never_ let her live this down, and Arcee would likely disappear from the base until it was time to go home. Jack was quiet determined to make sure that didn't happen, Arcee was one of the best things that happened to him and he wasn't going to let her hide in embarrassment.

Jack slowly approached her until he was standing behind Arcee and lightly stroked one of her winglets. Arcee jumped in surprise turning to see Jack standing there with a smile.

"Oh, it's you," she said with relief.

Jack sat down next to her "Were you expecting someone else?" he asked jokingly.

"No, just… lost in thought," she said.

"I heard about your punishment," Jack said.

Arcee turned to him "oh?" she said "And do you think it was fair?" she asked.

Jack let out a sigh "Sort of," he said.

Arcee gave him an indignant look "Really?" she asked bewildered by his answer.

Jack looked at her "Arcee, you could have gotten hurt if the relic was unstable, what then?" he said.

Arcee turned her optics downcast "I was just remembering how you were unsure of everything and I thought if… there wasn't a size difference, it would make things easier for you," she admitted.

Jack was touched that Arcee would do something like that for him, but felt he had to set her straight. Jack gently took her servos in his hands, a gesture he couldn't do before and raised Arcee's face to look at his.

"Arcee, I was unsure because I've never been in a serious relationship before, not because you were fifteen feet taller than me. I'm touched you'd do something like this," he said gesturing to her smaller form "to be with me, but its unnecessary, I fell in love with you because despite the differences, there was a connection between us, something I've never felt with anyone before," he said.

Arcee smiled at him, "Jack… that was sweet," she said.

Jack returned the smile "What can I say, I've been told I'm a smooth operator," he joked.

Arcee leaned in and lightly kissed him "Yes, you are," she said pulling away gently.

Jack suddenly felt emboldened and leaned in to return the kiss. Arcee happily returned it and the two sat there, their lips locked in place. Jack leaned forward slightly into the kiss, and Arcee leaned back, the two's kissing growing more fierce and hungry as it continued.

Jack felt slightly bolder pressed his tongue against her lips, begging for entrance. Arcee obliged him and the two engaged in a passionate French kiss. The two could have gone on like this, possibly even further, but fate enjoys screwing with Jack.

"OH MY GOD MY EYES!" a voice screamed and the two broke apart to see Amber, Miko, Sean, Dusk, and Ultimus standing there in horror. Amber and Miko were clawing at their eyes, Sean had his head turned away, and Dusk had covered Ultimus's eyes, though she looked about ready to faint herself.

Jack felt his face turn bright red as he realized the position the two were in, and they quickly broke apart sitting on opposite ends of the couch. They looked away from each other and Jack could feel his face burning bright red.

"Five minutes of privacy, that's all I'd ask for," he muttered.

_Elsewhere…_

Zod scowled as he overlooked the dig site. The workers were all relatively disorganized, all traveling from place to place with no sign of order or organization. But, then again, that described the con's perfectly, the only semblance of organization the group had ever demonstrated was their ability to keep the spikes on their ships and soldiers symmetrical.

But, they had the resources or the ability to get the resources Zod needed to build a new world engine. Contrary to popular belief, Zod was far more intelligent than he was given credit. He had an eidetic memory, meaning he'd memorized and understood the blueprints of the world engine and a phantom drive.

The cons, should be able to get all of what they needed, all he needed to do was… Request their assistance. The best way to do that, was to sneak aboard their ship, break onto the bridge, and toss that pathetic excuse of a leader Megatron around and they'd have what they needed.

He turned to Faora and nodded and the two quickly made their way to the platform that would lead into the Nemesis. There was a sudden hitch and the elevator slowly moved up, going up into the bowels of the ship.

Zod laughed to himself, there was no way it could be this easy, Megatron's over confidence was astounding. He didn't post any guards around the Energon, what was to stop the Autobots from stealing some cubes when he wasn't looking.

Zod shook his head and walked forward, pressing himself against the doorway. He peaked out and saw no guards, and used his X-Ray vision to quickly pinpoint the bridge. He motioned for Faora to follow, and the duo sprinted down the hall, moving at insane speeds towards the bridge.

The two came to a stop as they saw that the door to the bridge was sealed tight. Zod just smiled and stood back, pointing at the door. Faora nodded and ran back a fair distance. She turned and faced the door, taking off at full speed.

She leapt into the air, and kicked the door with her full strength. There was a loud screech of metal on metal as the door flew off its hinges and crashed into the ground.

"Thank you Faora," Zod said as he calmly walked in, his helmet disabled.

Megatron and several others he did not recognize glared at him angrily "Who are you, why are you here!?" Megatron demanded.

"Why Megatron, I'm insulted you forgot our last encounter so quickly," Zod said in cool manner "I thought you would remember bowing to your superior," he said mockingly.

To his shock, instead of Megatron cursing at him, it was another con, larger than the warlord who growled at him. This one was covered in spikes with eerie yellow optics, and a face that screamed "Animal".

"Impudent insect, my creator bows to no one, especially organic filth such as yourself," the con snarled.

Zod looked at the con unimpressed "And you would be?" he asked with disinterest.

"I am Draconus, son of Megatron," he proclaimed proudly.

Zod just gave him a look of pity "Then you have my apologies," he said earning him a confused look from the con.

"Apologies, for what!?" he demanded.

"Why, for being the unfortunate child of a warlord who destroyed his own home world because he lacks in any form of control, dignity, or basic intelligence," Zod said.

Draconus growled at him and charged running full speed. Zod jumped up grabbed his crown of spikes and flipped him over on his back. He landed with a loud crash on the cons back and grabbed his arm, wrenching it back with a slight heave.

Zod directed his gaze towards a shocked Megatron "Now, Megatron, it's clearly obvious that my associate and I are no longer in our own universe, for such a vile creature as this," he said applying pressure to Draconu's arm and eliciting a pained growl from him "does not exist where I am from,"

Zod narrowed his eyes "Now, you will give me control of your forces, or I will personally tear you and your crew to shreds," he applied even more pressure to the con's arm "Starting with your child," he threatened.

The entire bridge was dead silent, a murderous gaze on Megatron's faceplate, though Zod could care less. Faora could easily deal with this, but it seemed that Megatron refused to answer.

Zod let out a frustrated sigh "Faora, hold this please," he said and his SIC grabbed the arm.

Zod leapt off the con and calmly walked towards Megatron "How about a little wager, I'll fight you and if you win, I'll leave and never bother you or that animal of a son you have again," a wicked smile crossed his face "But when I win, you will hand over all your forces to me, and refer to me as your lord and master," he said.

Megatron's glare hardened "And if I refuse your challenge?" he said.

Zod shrugged "Then I have Faora play catch with your sons spark," he said calmly.

Megatron seemed to internally debate this for several seconds before speaking "Very well… I accept your challenge," he growled.

Zod smiled and didn't say a word. Instead he shot forward, incredibly fast towards Megatron, aiming to disable his legs. It was here that his theory of this being a different dimension were confirmed when Megatron attempted to crush him under foot, a mistake the Cybertronians never seemed to learn from.

Zod grabbed his foot, and with a twist, snapped the knee joint like a twig. Megatron let out a pained grunt as he fell to his knee before he stood back up, ignoring the pain. He activated his cannon and opened fire, only for Zod to leap over the fire, land behind the cannon, and rip it clean off his arm.

This time Megatron yelled in pain and tried to grab Zod with is other hand. This resulted in a broken servo, and Zod began twisting his left arm in his hand "Now, kneel!" he ordered.

Megatron snarled at him defiantly and he applied more pressure, similar to what he'd done before in his own dimensional plane "I SAID KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!" he screamed and nearly tore his arm off.

Megatron fell to his knees in extreme pain "I… kneel," he said.

Zod smiled, "Good, now that that's settled," he turned to Faora "Break that miscreants arm," he ordered. He didn't notice the reluctant look on her face.

"That wasn't part of our deal!" Megatron snarled, but was too damaged to stand, let alone try and stop the general.

Zod smiled "You're a Decepticon aren't you? Ever heard of a double cross?" he snapped his fingers and a loud snap echoed through the halls of the ship, followed by a howl of pain…

**A/N: This… was an odd chapter. Except for the end, consider it filler. Anyway, some of you may have noticed that I have created a new story, Techno-Organic Synthesis, a Pacific Rim, TFP crossover. I'll only be updating that story whenever Elhini is not available to work on the crossover, so it will update spontaneously. Anyway, review with critique, or PM me and Elhin with plot based questions or ideas! Bye!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Return

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack yawned as he woke up, feeling the presence of the much smaller Arcee lying beside him, her head resting on his chest. He smiled as he remembered the odd events of yesterday, and felt a twinge of sorrow for his girlfriend. After the others had caught them in their less than…appropriate position, the two had stayed relatively clean around the others.

Then, the rest of the team had returned and the results had been… interesting. Arcee's counterpart and Elita had reacted to her predicament about as well as was expected and had Optimus not interfered, it was likely no one would have seen Arcee for the rest of their stay.

Optimus had stopped the two from the scolding and said that Arcee was already punished enough being trapped at human size and confined to base, and that scolding her would accomplish nothing. Eventually the two calmed down after that, and simply avoided Arcee for all the good it did.

June had talked to Jack after that event and warned him and Arcee to… stay safe. Jack shuddered at the talk, he had no intentions of doing _that_ with Arcee, not anytime soon. He wasn't ready, she wasn't ready, and he wasn't even sure it was possible. Doesn't mean that everyone even Kara hadn't laughed at the two's embarrassment.

Jack shook himself of the memories, and decided just to rest peacefully on the now hilariously oversized berth the two shared. Jack had borrowed some blankets for himself as the base grew freezing at night, and he wouldn't have Arcee to keep him warm as she had the night before.

Jacks rest was interrupted by the slight shifting of Arcee and he looked down to see her waking up. She looked around for a moment, clearly having forgotten her condition, before her faceplate fell in sadness.

"Morning," Jack said and she looked at him in shock "What, thought I was asleep?" he asked.

"No," she admitted "Just, lost in thought over all this" she said.

Jack smiled as a sudden thought occurred to him "You still mad at Ratchet?" he asked.

Arcee lifted her head back up "Why?" she asked.

"I just got a bit of an idea on _how_ we could get back at him," he said with a grin.

An evil glint passed through the femmes optics "Tell me," she said.

Jack smiled and whispered his plan into her audio receptor. Arcee shivered "Jack… that's evil," she said.

A smile crossed her lips "I love it," she said.

"We'll need help from Dusk," Jack said "She was trained by the best after all," he said with another smile.

Arcee planted a kiss on her boyfriend "True," she said as she pulled away, "It might be best if we go now before everyone else wakes up," she said.

Jack smiled and the two got up, Jack quickly changing into better clothes before the two headed out to Dusks room. The entire base was silent as everyone was still asleep or in recharge. The two quickly and quietly made their way to her room and came to a stop by her door.

Jack eased the door open to Dusks room as quietly as possible, and let his girlfriend slip in before silently following after her into the room. In the dim light of the grey dawn, one could see that it was filled with bookshelves. But, surprisingly, not one book was on the shelves. They were stacked all about the room, but one could see that they were lovingly placed there.

A dresser stood in the corner, lovingly painted with moons, stars, glyphs, and suns. At the foot of the bed was a large doggie-bed, in which a large mountain of black fur slept…no, watched the two intruders.

Sirius' dark gaze froze the duo, who didn't move, lest he awaken Dusk. Jack quietly and slowly approached the Newfoundland and quietly stroked his large black head. Sirius lay back down on the bed and thumped his tail happily.

Temporary crisis averted, Arcee and Jack approached Dusk who'd fallen reading a book. The book was laid out on her lap and her head rested against the headboard. It was the most peaceful that the two had seen her, and Jack almost felt regretful for waking her.

Arcee meanwhile examined the book and a shocked look crossed her faceplate. Jack would have to ask her about that later, and gently shook Dusk, trying to ease her awake. The reaction was not what he'd expected.

Dusk's eyes flashed open and the Halfling jumped up, feet put in ready position, flames dancing in her palms. Which were thrown with very precise aim.

"Whoa!" Jack yelled, falling back as a streak of fire went past him and splashed upon the door, "Dusk! It's us! Kal and Arcee!" he yelled trying to calm her

Dusk relaxed a bit, groaning as she sat back down on her bed. Jack had a feeling that she was not a morning person.

"Do you two realize what time it is?" she complained, leaning over her knees, letting a silver pendant dangle free, "I mean, seriously! You guys are worse than Ironhide was! There's a reason my name is Dusk, not Dawn!" yep, not a morning person.

"We just wanted to ask you if you'd like to help us with a prank," Arcee said a ghost of a smile on her lips.

Dusk frowned. "I don't know if I should help, considering you chewed me out the last time I performed a prank," Dusk pointed out, "What makes this time any different?"Arcee stopped remembering how inappropriate she'd acted the last time Dusk pulled a prank.

"It's against Ratchet," Jack explained.

"I'm listening," Dusk said, an evil grin creeping across her face.

"We need your help in pulling it off," Jack said

"The best way to pull a prank on the Hatchet is not using the minor stuff," Dusk said, rubbing Sirius' head, "You want to pick on his pride,"

"And I think we're going to do that," Jack nodded.

"The one thing Ratchet doesn't like…is being embarrassed," the Halfling repeated, "The last prank we did was when Ultimus and I painted him pink and used Amber and Dr. Williams' makeup on him…Ah the good old days,"

"Sooo…does that mean you're in?" he asked

Dusk grinned "As long as I don't get the blame for it," she warned.

Jack smiled "If we're lucky, the only one he'll know of is Arcee," he said.

"Wait what!?" Arcee demanded hands on her hips.

"Well, Ratchet already knows your coming for you. and according to Dusk he did claim he could take whatever you dished out," Jack said.

Arcee raised a brow "Fine, but if I get punished for this… Well, you won't like how I get even with you smooth operator," she warned. Jack shivered, he had a feeling she wasn't lying.

"Careful!" Arcee hissed as they carried the Mass Shifter down the hall. Getting a hold of it was easy, getting it to Ratchets room was… less so.

"Ow!" Dusk yelped, "Kal, that was my foot!"

"Sorry," he replied.

"Ok," Dusk grunted, setting the heavy device next to Ratchet's berth, where the cranky medic was fast in recharge, and turned to Arcee II, "You know how to work it?"

She gave Dusk a seriously' look and bent down to press the buttons.

Arcee looked at Dusk while she worked "You have the other means of torture?" she asked.

Dusk held up the certain items of torture "Amber and Miko won't miss it…much," she shrugged as Arcee activated the relic.

"You know, for a doctor…" Jack started as Ratchet's frame shrank down, "He sure sleeps late,"

"It's called induced stasis," Dusk grunted as the group took the Mass Shifter away.

"He's going to be mad…" Jack warned. He was terrified of exactly how the bot would react. He just knew it wouldn't end well.

"He's always mad," Dusk snorted.

"Alright," Arcee said, "Who's going to put the other part of our prank on him?"

Jack and Dusk looked at each other.

"Nose goes!" they both said unison putting their fingers on their noses.

Arcee glared at the two. Jack had a feeling he'd be paying for this later.

"Hey," Dusk pointed out, "It was your prank, may I remind you,"

Arcee scowled and snatched the item away from her. Jack and Dusk hid their snickers as she put the items on Ratchet, "Remember," Dusk reminded, "I am 100% innocent…right…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Arcee growled as they all went out of Ratchet's room and into their own.

Now all they had to do was wait, and the fireworks would commence…

_Later…_

Everyone sat in the main hall, even Sirius surprisingly, perfectly peaceful and content. Dusk and Ultimus sat on the couch, the former asleep on her younger brothers shoulder, while the others kept themselves entertained. Kara had recently discovered how to fly, much to Jacks happiness and displeasure, and was currently up in the rafters while Jack mumbled something about crashing into mountains.

Most of the humans were watching TV, June excluded, who was trading stories with her counterpart about the handful that was their son. Jacks Arcee was sitting next to her boyfriend who had a loving arm wrapped around her shoulders, and the two were about as intimate as they chose to get. That is from time to time Jack would trace her winglets, causing the femme to shudder.

Apparently those were some of the most sensitive parts on a Cybertronians body much to Jacks shock, and he smiled every time he did it.

"Jack…" she warned as he did it again.

"What," he said innocently.

She gave him that look "You know what," she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he countered running a finger along the seam where the winglet met her back. Arcee growled at the feeling glaring at him. Whether it was in anger or pleasure he'd never know because at that moment, loud voice echoed through base.

"I'M GOING TO FRAGGING KILL THAT HALFLING!" Ratchet's voice shrieked, "DUSSSSKKK!"

Dusk jumped up, eyes wide "No that's not my penguin!" she shouted. Everyone chuckled at that and turned to the sound of the voice

Ultimus though, snorted as she looked around "Oh," she said, "It was just a dream,"

At that moment a very angry Ratchet stormed into the room. Or at least, it might have been Ratchet, it was hard to tell. He was about the size of Miko…wearing a bright neon pink bikini…and a colorful clown afro.

Dusk's jaw dropped as she looked at him and she looked like she was about to collapse into laughter. Jack would probably join her soon.

"You!" Ratchet snarled pointing a servo at her, "I know you were in on this!"

"I didn't do it!" Dusk protested, "I am completely innocent!" she and Ultimus exchanged looks.

Arcee and Jack on the other hand watched the spectacle wondering if he was going to calm down. Of course not…somebody had to make an already hysterically furious medic even angrier. Meaning…

"Ra da da da da da da da circus Da da da da da da da da afro Circus afro, circus afro, polka dot polka dot polka dot yo!" 'Bee's radio sang.

Ratchet looked like he was going to rip both Dusk and 'Bee to shreds. He glared at Ultimus next and he held up his hands. Amber, Miko and Sean did the same as they were the next in line. Ben escaped the wrathful glare because he wouldn't do it…he enjoyed his life too much.

"What makes you think I did it?" Dusk demanded, hands on her hips, "I can barely lift the thing by myself!"

Jack and Arcee smirked, trying hard not to laugh at the scene unfolding before them. Ultimus looked at them suspiscously and the two put on their best innocent faces. If he bought it, Jack doubted it.

"You could have transformed!" Ratchet snapped.

"I don't even know how to use it!" Dusk retorted, "I'd probably end up shrinking myself!"

Ratchet froze at that bit of logic, the wheels visibly turning in his head. He slowly turned to Ultimus who raised his arms in surrender.

"I did not do it," he replied, honestly, "Prime's honor."

"But then…" his optics lit up and he turned towards Arcee, "YOU!" he yelled

The shrunk femme looked innocently at him.

"Whatever would possess you to think that, Ratchet," she replied coyly.

"Don't get smart with me femme," Ratchet growled

She grinned "I told you I'd get back at you Hatchet…And looks like I did," she said smugly.

Ratchet clenched his servos, a wrench sliding into one. He froze as Jack took a step in front of his girlfriend protectively. If the medic threw that wrench… He'd learn the hard way exactly how it felt.

The CMO stalked off, growling darkly to himself. Ultimus turned to the two once Ratchet stalked off to likely turn himself back to normal.

"Did you really do that to Ratchet?" he asked.

Arcee smiled "Well, I had a little help from, from my partner," she said affectionately.

Ultimus looked at Jack "You really helped her do _that_ to Ratchet?" he asked.

Jack nodded "Yeah, it was actually my idea," he admitted.

"What I'd like to know is how exactly you managed to steal one of my bikinis," Amber demanded.

Jack blushed "Yeah well… Arcee did that," he said.

Amber raised a brow "Really," she said suspiciously.

"Hey, I have a girlfriend and I don't do that," Jack said with his hands raised in surrender.

"Riiight," Amber said in disbelief "And I'm sure you never used that X-Ray vision to see in the girls locker room," she said.

Jack looked at Amber mortified, his face burning bright red "AMBER!" he said in shock.

She smirked "What, you're a guy, I'd be more shocked if you didn't do that," she said.

"I don't abuse my powers like that!" he exclaimed.

"Right," she said again dismissively.

Jack opened his mouth to protest and decided just to shut it. He was just digging a deeper hole for himself. Arcee on the other hand chuckled at her boyfriends discomfort at the situation.

"Anyone tell you how cute you are when you're embarrassed?" she teased.

Jack looked at her, before a look passed over his face "That so?" he asked.

Suddenly without warning Jack scooped up Arcee bridle style "Jack," she squealed playfully pushing against his chest.

Jack smiled and planted a kiss on her, everyone moaning and groaning "Really!?" Amber asked " Can you please do that in private?"

Jack lifted back up still holding the femme in his arms "I would, except everyone seems to enjoy either spying on us, or walking in without knocking," Jack said his eyes flicking towards Elita, who looked away innocently.

Jack just shook his head, and set Arcee back down. At that moment a ping sounded from the terminal. Optimus approached the terminal and looked it over. He turned to the Autobots.

"It appears the Decepticons are once again stealing human technology," he said, a hard look on his face, "Time is now of the essence, we must move quickly," he said and the bots left, minus Arcee of course, who was still confined to base.

The base fell into a peaceful silence, the remaining inhabitants trying to keep themselves entertained, playing games talking or simply enjoying their presence. It was at this time a beep sounded from the terminal and Ultimus approached it.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"A high frequency tone…with an embedded message," Ultimus grumbled, "Bring medical kit to this location. Come alone for a parley,"

"Starscream again?" Amber piped up.

"No," he frowned, looking at the message, "It doesn't say, all I'm getting is a set of coordinates,"

"I don't think you should go," Sean said, "What if it's a trap?"

"Then it's a risk I'll have to take," Ultimus replied, "From the looks of it, the sender is hurt and…I can't just leave them. Ratchet and Jolt are out, so it has to be me,"

Ultimus grabbed the medical kit and fired up the Ground bridge. The large vortex swirled to life and he began walking through. He came to a stop and turned back to the those who remained.

"Ben, you're in charge," he ordered and went through the portal to the coordinates.

"He does realize I'm still here," Arcee said rather indignantly.

"I'm pretty sure your still grounded," Miko said, earning her a glare from Arcee. Jack was glad he didn't earn those glares from the femme anymore, she was quiet scary when she did.

Of course, now Jack knew her secret weakness and ran a finger along the seam where her winglets met her back. Arcee arched her back slightly at the touch and purred slightly.

"I told you to stop," she growled though her undertones suggested otherwise.

"What can I say, it's funny," he admitted "Plus, it's the only way I can get you not to be so tense," he added.

"I'm not tense!" she retorted indignantly her winglets shooting straight up.

Everyone laughed at her statement and she whirred to them "What?" she demanded "I'm not,"

Amber wiped a tear away as she laughed "Really, cause I think your more tense than our Arcee at times," she said.

Arcee glared at her and Jack could practically she her Energon boiling. So to prevent an outburst she'd regret later, he traced his fingers over the winglets again and she practically melted in his hand.

"Jeez," Jack muttered "If I'd known it was this easy to get you to calm down I'd have started doing this ages ago," he said with a smile.

The only response from the femme was an odd purring noise followed by some clicking. Jack, June ,and Kara stared at the femme when the noise emerged.

Arcee quickly realized this and looked at them confused "What?" she asked.

"You were just… purring," June explained "Like a cat," she said.

"Yeah," Jack agreed "And were making an odd clicking noise,"

The other humans were laughing at their confusion "What?" Jack demanded.

"You've never heard the bots make that noise before?" Sean asked.

"No, should I have?" Jack asked.

Sean smiled "Given how often you and Arcee are locked together I'm surprised you haven't. It's just a noise Cybertronians make when they're content," he explained.

"They… purr, like a cat?" Jack said skeptically "I find that… hard to believe," he admitted, only to receive a flick on the ear from Arcee.

"Ow!" he exclaimed "What was that for?" he asked rubbing his ear.

Arcee glared at him "Don't make fun of it, it's natural for all of us, pretty sure that even Megatron used to do that before he started the war," Arcee said, inciting a laugh from everyone. The idea of the fearsome warlord purring and clicking like a cat… It was hilarious.

The ground bridge opened up again and Ultimus stepped through a troubled look on his faceplate. He came to a stop standing out of the bridge as it closed. He turned to look at them and Raf greeted him.

"Well? Who was it?" the young boy asked.

Ultimus didn't answer instead his gaze focusing on Jack "It was Draconus," he finally said.

The entire base grew silent, Miko breaking the silence "The dragoncon? What would he want?" she asked.

"He was injured, badly," Ultimus explained his voice growing more solemn "He claims he escaped the Nemesis, that someone took it over and has turned Megatron into his servant," he said.

Everyone was dead silent, unable to say a word. Someone had taken over the Nemesis? Taken it from the most dangerous Cybertronian to ever live? Jack shuddered at who it could be and looked at Ultimus.

"Did he say who it was?" he asked, though a feeling of dread was creeping into his throat, as if… As if he already knew who it was.

Ultimus nodded "He said… that it was Zod," Jack felt all the color drain from his face, Arcee scowling angrily and Junes expression being covered in fear.

Jack felt his whole being tremble "T-t-that s-shouldn't be p-possible," he stammered. He stood up and made his way to the railing.

"I-I d-defeated him, he's g-gone," Jack said, trying to will his fear away, but it wouldn't leave. If anything it was getting worse, his whole body was trembling.

"According to Draconus, he's not and has control of the Nemesis. He escaped to ask us, or more specifically you, for help," Ultimus said, his face showing how unnerved he was by Jacks sudden change in character.

Jack let out a bitter laugh "Zod would kick me around like an old soda can if I fought him. The man killed my father, I couldn't hold a candle against his ground troops, what hope would I have against him!" he yelled.

He felt Kara land behind him and place a comforting hand on his shoulder "But you're not alone this time brother, you have me to help," she said, trying to calm her brother.

Jack turned to her "And what if Zod has some of his soldiers, then what!?" he demanded "If he does, then we are doomed, he's faster than me, stronger than me, and better trained then me," Jack hung his head in shame. He stood know chance against Zod, even if he had Kara's help, and she was still learning her powers.

Ultimus opened his mouth to respond, when a beep on the terminal sounded. He quickly made his way over to the terminal "It's a transmission from the others," he said and opened the transmission.

"Guys, what's the problem?" he asked.

"Ah, Kal-El, it's good to hear from you again," an eerily familiar cold voice said over the comm. "Or is this his counterpart, Ultimus Prime?" Zod mocked.

Ultimus clenched his fists "What have you done to my family," he hissed.

A dark chuckle resonated through the base "Ultimus it is then. Well young Prime, I have done nothing… Permanent to your family, not yet anyway, however I believe you have something I need," he said.

Jack knew what it was that the madman wanted "I want Kal-El, send him to me, and your family will live… If you don't I'll rip them limb from limb, starting with the halfling," he said.

Ultimus clenched his fists in anger "You touch her-" Zod cut him off with a laugh.

"What could you possibly do to me boy!? Kal-El couldn't defeat me, the combined might of your entire team couldn't beat me! You don't stand a chance… You have 15 minutes to respond, or I start killing Autobots," the comm. cut out. The entire base fell into a tense silence, no one moving or saying a thing.

"Open the bridge," A voice ordered, and everyone turned to Jack.

He looked at Ultimus "Open it, I'll deal with Zod," he said, the fear he'd been showing earlier completely evaporated.

"But you said-" Ultimus started, but a look from Jack shut him up.

"I know what I said, but Zod just threatened our family, and the last time he did that he regretted it. I made a mistake last time, I should have personally fought Zod, made sure he couldn't escape. Now, I'm going to end this," he said.

"Not without me," Ultimus growled. Jack glared at Ultimus, odds are he'd get in the way.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he finished. Jack sighed inwardly. On the one hand the help would be appreciated, on the other hand… Ultimus wouldn't last long against Zod. But it was his family at risk here, not just his Jacks friends.

"Zod might be more powerful than the two of us," Ultimus said, "But he can't fight both of us at once. Your strength and speed, my training, I think we can take him," Jack inwardly laughed at the Primes confidence. He clearly had no idea what they were up against.

"He will kill us if he gets the chance, you know that," Jack said, still trying to change his mind.

"We Primes don't die that easy," Ultimus chuckled, "Ask Dad or Dusk, they'll tell you the same thing."

"Fine," Jack growled. There was no way the Prime was going to help

"There's something I need to do first," Ultimus said, looking towards the Ground bridge.

Ultimus quickly activated the bridge and stepped through. The moment it closed Jack was up in the air at the terminal. He knew how to work the ground bridge, his Ratchet had shown him long ago. Jack would be damned before he let Ultimus risk himself like that, this was his fight no one else's.

He ignored everyone's protests, even his mothers and turned to the bridge as it swirled to life. Taking a deep breath he shot through the bridge. What he saw on the other side horrified him to no end.

The Autobots were in horrific shape, covered in gashes dints and armor scattered everywhere. They were all restrained together, metal girders wrapped around them. Optimus was in particularly bad shape his whole body dented, his battle mask torn off, one of his optics shattered.

Dusk was the worst though, the halfling had been reverted to human form, and for good reason. She lay against Optimus, battered and bruised with several cuts bleeding Energon. One of her wings was limp, likely broken given how it lay, and she cradled her arm weakly.

The bots turned and looked to see Jack standing there, and he could see the hopefulness in their eyes. Jack felt awful, they though he could stop Zod, the best he could do was delay him until Ultimus inevitably followed him through.

"Ah, Kal-El, it's good to see that you've arrived," the cold voice of Zod said. Jack turned to see him standing on a hill overlooking him with another Kryptonian. Faora… Jack felt his blood go cold, if she was here… He was doomed.

"I came here like you wanted Zod, now let the Autobots go," he said, though he already knew the answer.

Zod smiled "Yes, well you see, the Autobots are a hindrance to my plan, and eventually the Decepticons will be as well. I see it will be best if I simply kill them," he said casually.

He turned to glare directly at Jack "But not before I personally rip out your heart," he snarled and leapt from the hill landing behind him with a loud boom.

Jack whirled around to face him, only to receive an uppercut that launched him into the sky. Zod grabbed him by the foot, and slammed Jack face first into the ground, kicking up dirt and debris, and leaving a crater.

"I have been waiting 16 years for this day Kal-El, the day when I would have me revenge against your lineage for what they did to me and my people," he snarled as he slammed his foot on Jacks neck.

"You'll have to wait a little longer," Jack retorted, and fired his heat vision at Zod, singing his armor and causing him to stumble back. Jack quickly shot back up and delivered a right hook to the generals face. There was a loud BOOM as a miniature shockwave was created from the punch. Jack wasn't holding anything back, not this time.

Jack delivered a series of thunderous blows before grabbing hold of Zod and shooting into the air. He flew up and up before the general broke his grip and, gripping his hands together, slammed them on top of Jacks head, sending him plummeting to the ground below.

Jack slammed into the ground creating a massive crater as dirt and debris flew everywhere from the landing. Jack quickly stood to try and fight back, only to receive a knee in the stomach. He gagged as all the air was knocked from his lungs and Zod slammed him back onto the ground.

Jack tried getting back up, when Zod's foot slammed on his neck, this time keeping his head pointed away from the warlord. Jack struggled against the foot, but Zod was still stronger than him, though not by much.

"I grow tired of this game Kal-El," Zod snarled "So I will not humor you any longer and use what I should have used when we first met," Jack tried glaring at him, confused by what he meant.

Zod reached into a pocket on his armor and pulled something out, holding it clenched in his hand. He looked at Jack "If I open this hand, your powers will fail you, and you shall be weaker than the humans you protect," he threatened.

Jack glared at the hand. He couldn't possible posses something that could do that to him… Could he? Regardless, Jack couldn't let him have the chance to use the device and put all the strength he had into toppling the warlord. To his satisfaction, Zod hadn't expected it, and stumbled back. Jack shot forward and grabbed the hand holding the device, as well as his other hand, and the two struggled like this.

Zod glared at him, and then slowly opened his hand, revealing the device. It was a small rock, no bigger than the command key he kept with him but it was different. It was a sickly green color, and seemed to radiate out. The worst part was… Jack immediately felt a wave of nausea and weakness flow over him, and he fell to his knees.

He tried holding out against Zod, but with a quick kick, Jack flew back and crashed, all his strength fading. He tried struggling to his feet, only to find that he was too weak to do that. He weakly turned to see Zod holding the rock on a metal chain, smirking from under his helmet that had since deployed.

"An interesting mineral wouldn't you agree Kal? It's made from the remnants of our home, which combined with the immense radiation it was combined with, makes it quiet deadly to us, even on Earth," Zod smiled

"But then, you probably already figured that out. I discovered an entire Cache of this mineral in the ruins of our home, but have kept only small amounts in case of emergency," he explained.

"I have since called it… Kryptonite…" Zod said with a small hint of pride. Jack started to try and crawl from the general for all the good it did, while Zod casually approached him, holding the rock in hand.

There was a sound of a ground bridge opening, and the two looked to see Ultimus step out with… Draconus. The dragon con was in dragon mode, and hissed at Zod, Ultimus looking from Jack to Zod with worry.

Jack waved his hand away from them, pointing to the bots, trying to tell them to help them and leave him "I wouldn't do that," Zod said, figuring out what Jack planned to do.

"You take one more step Ultimus, and I kill your family. You take another step Draconus and your father dies," Zod said.

The two froze and looked at Jack who only felt worse the longer he was exposed to kryptonite. He had failed, Zod had won, there wasn't anything left he could do. With the kryptonite Jack was truly outclassed and vulnerable.

But he couldn't let his friends die, not while he was still drawing breath. Jack felt new energy surging through him and he got to his feet weakly. Zod looked to him with feigned pity.

"Oh child, I applaud your persistence, but there's one problem," Zod said. He twisted on his heel, delivering a round house kick to Jacks side. He was too slow to even try and block it and the teen screamed in agony as his ribs cracked from the blow. He fell back on the ground clutching his side in pain, tears flowing down his face.

"I hate your persistence!" Zod yelled and stomped on his leg. Jack screamed again as his thigh cracked from the blow and curled his legs towards him, trying to protect himself from the generals torture. It didn't matter though, Zod would kill him, and once that was done, he would kill everyone else too.

Zod grabbed Jack by his collar and brought him to his face "You know what the worst part is Kal?" he asked mockingly.

Jack didn't give an answer, just glaring weakly at the general "All this, is your fault, if you'd let me change Earth, I wouldn't kill everyone in this dimension as well," he said, his voice becoming calm and cool again.

He shrugged "Oh well, if I'm going to start now, best to start with you," he said, and brought his fist back, to end Jack's life. Jack didn't close his eyes, he wouldn't let Zod have that satisfaction. That meant he was even more shocked when someone stopped Zod's fist that was holding the kryptonite.

Zod turned to look and saw Faora standing there holding his arm back "What do you think you're doing Faora!?" he demanded angrily.

Faora looked at her superior "This… this isn't right Zod, what we're doing, we don't need to do this, there are better ways," she said. Jack looked at her in shock. The Faora he fought would never had said something like that, _ever_. What had changed?

Zod seemed to be thinking the same thing "What are you talking about, you have agreed with everything I've done, agreed it was necessary to restore Krypton," he said, more confused than anything.

"We were wrong general, this is not the way, killing our own kind and slaughtering entire races isn't something we need to do," she said.

Zod looked torn, if only for a moment before his scowl returned "Let go of my arm soldier, now!" he ordered.

Faora shook her head "I don't take orders from you anymore Zod, Jor-El was right, you've become a monster," she said.

Zod snarled and let Jack go. He fell in a heap on the ground his injuries flaring as he did. Zod turned to face his rebellious soldier.

"Then I will have to kill you first," he snarled, charging Faora. Faora grabbed and tripped the general flipping him on his back and taking the piece of Kryptonite from his hand.

"Always control your emotions, that's one of the first things you taught us General," Faora said sadly. She turned to Ultimus and tossed the rock to him.

"Destroy that, now! Otherwise Kal-El will die!" she said. She turned to Draconus "Free the Autobots, I shall hold Zod for now," she said as the general slammed into her.

The two engaged in a brawl while Draconus freed the Autobots and Ultimus destroyed the kryptonite with a shot from his blaster. The moment the mineral was destroyed, jack immediately felt his strength returning, his bones snapping back into place. With a deep breath he leapt to his feet and tore the bindings off the rest of the bots.

He ripped the binds off Optimus and looked at the Prime sadly as he stood "Optimus, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault," he said.

Optimus said nothing as the others stood and made their way to the portal. There was a loud crash and Faora leapt through the air landing in front of them. Everyone looked at her warily, remembering what she'd done.

"I am not going to attack any of you, I wish to help I know what Zod is planning," she said quickly.

"How do we know you aren't just secretly working for Zod?" Ultimus asked.

At that exact moment "FAORA! I WILL STRIP THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES!" Zod screamed.

"That's how," she said. Everyone looked to Optimus who nodded hesitantly. Jack sighed inwardly, this was going to be awkward back at base.

The large group walked through the portal, beaten and bloodied. Jack himself was covered in bruises that were still healing, but at least his ribs and leg were healed. A collective gasp could be heard from everyone as the group limped through the portal.

Ratchet and Jolt immediately got to work fixing injuries. He claimed that they were mostly superficial, but that it would take time for them to be repaired. Jack saw Kara, Arcee, and June approaching him, but all three froze when they saw Faora.

Arcee's hands shifted to blasters aimed directly at her "What is _she_ doing here," she hissed.

"She's going to help us," Jack said, his own voice laced with venom.

Arcee let out a bitter laugh "And why should we trust her after she almost killed Optimus and me, not to mention tried to kill you!" she exclaimed.

"Because Kal would be dead if it were not for me," Faora stated matter-of-factly.

Arcee glared at her directly "Oh really, did you decide _not_ to rip his heart out?" she said sarcastically. Jack felt he should stop Arcee, but honestly he felt the hostility was called for. This woman had nearly killed team prime and his mother.

"No, I saved him from Zod when he used Kryptonite on him," Faora said.

"Kryptonite?" Kara asked from by Arcee. She too was glaring at Faora, her eyes glowing slightly red.

"Remnants of our home, heavily radiated. Without proper protection they remove our powers and slowly kill us," Faora said "Zod kept that with him in case he ever had to put down treacherous soldiers," she explained.

"Like you," Arcee growled.

Faora glared at her "Make no mistake, my betrayal of Zod was not an easy decision, but he has lost sight of our goal to restore Krypton, become too… enslaved by his thirst for revenge," Faora clenched her eyes and seemed to be clenching something in her hand. Before anyone could ask what it was, she slipped it into her armors compartment.

Faora opened her eyes "The point is that I wish to stop Zod, I've realized that what we did was wrong and will do whatever it takes to correct that mistake," she said.

Arcee looked at her unconvinced before scoffing at her "Whatever, just stay away from me or the others," she said and walked away.

Jack wanted to go after her and talk when suddenly Fowler appeared on screen "Prime, we got cons attacking New York,"

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Once again I have struck with four cliffhangers in a row, HA take that! In all seriousness, apologies for the late upload, Elhini and I have both been busy. Anyway, remember to review with critique, and PM me or Elhini with plot ideas, or questions. Bye!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Defender

_Autobot HQ…_

The whole base was silent after Fowler relayed the message. The entire city was under attack by Cons, but according to Fowler they were just attacking anything and everything with no specific targets.

"Why would Zod just attack New York? He doesn't gain anything," Ultimus said.

"He gains one thing," Faora said. "He understands that Kal cares deeply for humans and that the only way to get you to come to him is by attacking civilians," she said, fists clenched while looking at Jack.

"Worst part is that he's right. Se have to go to New York and evacuate the population before more lives are lost," Jack said.

"And Zod?" Ultimus asked. "What if he has more of that Kryptonite?" he said.

Faora shook her head. "Zod only carried small amounts on himself; the rest was in our ship before it was destroyed. That piece you destroyed was the last of it," she explained.

"Good, then I can end this," Jack said, his voice a threatening calm.

"Kal, you would be outclassed. Evacuate the civilians. I will handle the General," she said.

Jack turned to her. "And how do we know you really are trust worthy!? How do we know this isn't just some elaborate trap you and Zod fabricated to capture and kill me!?" he demanded.

"Because Zod is a monster who will slaughter anything that gets in his way, something I can no longer stomach." Faora said eyes closed.

Jack opened his mouth to respond when Dusk started moaning in pain on the berth. Everyone rushed over to her to make sure she was okay, just in time to see the halfling open her eyes.

"You're okay!" Ben cried happily. "Well, you're awake anyway," he amended.

"Tell the guy with the jackhammer to lay off will ya?" Dusk asked, rubbing her arm.

"What happened?" her boyfriend asked, placing an arm on her shoulder.

"Went a half minute round with a ticked off Kryptonian…" she growled. "And got my aft kicked," she finished.

Bee whirred something at her. "Aw shuddup," she snapped. "I'm not in the mood Bee."

Dusks suddenly noticed Faora and scowled, flames licking up her fingers. "What is _she_ doing here?" she hissed.

"Easy Dusk," Ultimus calmed. "Faora saved Kal's life and in turn yours," he said, though he didn't sound happy about it.

Dusk turned to Jack. "This true?" she asked.

Jack nodded. "Went out to try and save you guys…turns out Zod had one last trick up his sleeve," he said, subconsciously rubbing the area where his ribs had recently healed.

"Anyway, Faora saved me, turns out she wants to help us," Jack explained.

Dusk returned her glare to Faora. "Sure took your sweet time choosing the right time," she growled.

Faora returned the glare. "Betraying my superior, the man who has trained me since I was a child, was not an easy decision, one I imagine you would have as much difficulty going through with if the occasion demanded it," she said.

The two glared at each other before Jack got between them. "You two can try and kill each other later. Right now we need to get to New York," he said

"The Cons will turn that city to ash if we don't hurry," he said.

Dusk sighed and assumed femme form, likely so that Ratchet could repair her as well. "Fine, but don't make me work with her," she warned.

Jack nodded and turned to Ratchet. "How long 'til everyone is combat ready?" he asked.

The medic sighed. "Half hour, hour tops," he said.

Jack nodded and turned to the few that weren't injured, namely Ultimus, Draconus, Smokescreen, and Bumblebee whose injuries were the least hindering to their abilities.

"Ultimus, think you can lead two scouts and a Predacon on evac?" he asked.

An unsure look passed over the Prime's face before he nodded. "I think I can manage," he said.

"We're coming too," Arcee and Kara said.

"Ep, ep, ep." Ratchet said. "You're still being punished femme; you're not going anywhere," he ordered.

Arcee opened her mouth to protest, but a single look from the medic caused her to shut it. Jack turned to his sister. "Kara, stay here. You aren't ready for this. You still need to learn to control your abilities," he said.

"Kal, I can handle myself," she protested.

Jack shook his head. He wasn't going to back down. "Maybe if it was just Cons, but Zod is more experienced and stronger than either of us. I'm not going to let you risk yourself fighting him. I can't lose you, not after I just found you," he said.

Kara opened her mouth to protest, but Jack interrupted her. "Please Kara, stay here and protect the others. If Faora and I fall…" he didn't finish his sentence, everyone knew that if he fell, Kara would be the last line of defense against Zod.

Kara nodded reluctantly. "I…shall stay brother," she said.

Jack nodded. "Thank you," he said. He turned to Arcee, who stood with a hand on her hip.

"Arcee," he started, but the femme interrupted him.

"Just come back alive, Jack. If you die I'm going to kick your aft," she threatened, and Jack smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said and turned to Ultimus.

"You guys ready?" he asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Ultimus responded.

Jack nodded. "Good, Jolt, can you open a bridge to New York?" he asked.

The blue medic nodded and got to work on the terminal. While he did this, Jack addressed the group as a whole. "When you're ready meet us in New York. Something tells me that before the end of today, it's going to take our combined might to bring Zod and his forces down," he said.

Everyone nodded solemnly. They knew the stakes; they knew what was at risk. If they failed here, then two dimensions would fall. Two Earths would become Zod's, and the human race would be extinguished two times over. Jack didn't need to explain this to any of them. They knew what to do.

The ground bridge swirled to life, and the six stood in front of it. "You sure you can handle Zod?" Jack asked Faora.

"No, but after everything he's done, I need to at least try," she said.

Jack didn't respond, and the six walked through the ground bridge into a living hell…

_New York…_

The six froze at what they saw. They knew the Cons were attacking, but still….

Buildings in New York were burning with fire, debris littered the street, and wrecked cars were everywhere. Every once in a while, a squadron of seekers would zoom by over head, and the sound of blaster fire and screaming echoed through the city. If one looked up, they could see the inky black shape of the nemesis flying over head, its massive form blotting out a part of the sky.

The five gawked in horror before Faora got their attention. "You three," she said pointing to Ultimus, Bee, and Smokescreen. "Handle evacuations and destroy any ground troops that try and stop you."

She turned to Jack and Draconus. "Kal-El, destroy any seeker squadrons. Draconus I need a way to the Nemesis, can you fly me there?" she asked.

Everyone looked at her reluctantly, and she scowled. "Don't just stand there, go!" she yelled. "Innocent lives are at stake!" she exclaimed.

Jack turned to the others and nodded before shooting into the sky, colliding with a Seeker in midair. The other three changed to vehicle mode, taking off to help evacuate the city. Draconus turned to Faora growling.

Faora sighed. "Look, I know you're angry with me, but right now I may be the only one to stop Zod, but if you don't take me to the ship, no one will be able to," she said, hands on her hips. "So will you help me or leave your father at Zod's mercy?" she asked.

Draconus snarled angrily before he reluctantly lowered his helm, allowing Faora to climb onto him. Unfurling his massive wings, the dragon Con shot into the air, taking off towards the Nemesis.

Jack, meanwhile, was flying through the maze of streets, currently being chased by a group of three seekers. Flipping on his back while he flew, the boy shot a beam of heat vision at the lead one, burning through its wings. The seeker spiraled out of control, crashing into the ground below and cart wheeling out of control.

Jack shot towards one of the remaining two seekers and ripped its cockpit apart, letting it explode in mid air. Armor and debris fell into the street below, and Jack twisted, flying right into the remaining one. There was a crunch of metal as he shattered the nose of the Seeker, who proceeded to crash into the side of a building.

Jack regained his composure and floated in mid air. "Well, that was easy," he said before more blaster fire caught his attention. Jack turned and looked to see Ultimus and the others trapped behind cover and taking pot shots at a large group of Vehicons approaching them.

Jack scowled and shot forward towards the center of the group. There was a loud boom as he broke the sound barrier and collided with a Con into the ground. Asphalt flew into the air as he collided with the ground, and the Con shattered from impact. Jack leapt off the corpse and landed with a thud on the ground, turning to face the remaining Vehicons.

The Vehicons opened fire, and Jack proceeded to dodge and weave between the shots, disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye. Jack shoved his fist through the visor of one Vehicon and used its body as a shield before charging forward and slamming the body of the Con into another one, crumpling both.

Jack leapt towards another Con, only to take a blaster to the side and crash to the ground. He skidded on the ground for several feet, using his hand to slow himself before standing up to try and charge, only to get blasted by a barrage of blasts. He tried approaching, but there were too many; he was being overwhelmed.

Jack fell to his knees as more shots collided with his body, when the sound of several powerful engines roared through the air. Jack turned to see the vehicle modes of the other three drive off, flanking the large group of Vehicons. Bee and Smokescreen transformed to robot mode and collided with the mass of Vehicons, sparks flying everywhere. Ultimus drove to the rear of the group drifting to a stop a good distance away, transforming into a large blue and grey semi-truck.

Tires squealed against asphalt as he took off, pouring energon into his engine and reaching speeds no normal Semi could reach. There was a loud crash as the Prime crashed into the group of Vehicons, knocking any drone in his path out of the way. He managed to get halfway through the group before transforming and slashing forward with his sword and cutting through the Vehicon in front of him.

By now, the firing on Jack had let up, and he shot forward, ripping into the mass, kicking punching, and blasting Cons. He soon found himself and the others ripping the Cons to shreds, parts flying everywhere and energon coating the streets as their number fell to the Autobot onslaught.

Suddenly, the fighting stop, and the four realized it was because there were no Cons left to fight. Jack slowly stooped, panting and relaxed, dropped his fighting stance, and stood to his full height.

He turned to Ultimus with a smile. "Thanks for the help," he said, and the Prime smiled.

"Anytime," he said.

"Ugh, not to be a spoil sport guys," Smokescreen started, "but we still got a lot of Cons left in the city," he pointed out.

Jack nodded and opened his mouth to say something, when a massive crash shook the entire city. Jack looked towards the noise. "That came from Central Park," he said. "Faora must have engaged Zod. Ultimus, come on, we have to help," he said. The Prime nodded and followed, ordering the other two to keep up the evacuation.

They quickly made their way to the area, where loud booming and crashing could be heard, finally coming to Central Park. Right as they reached the area where it was loudest, Draconus and Megatron crashed through the trees, both covered in dents and gashes.

The two Cons stood to their feet, and Megatron's optics widened at the sight of Jack. "So, you are the one Zod has been so desperately searching for," he growled.

Jack ignored the warlord's statement and asked him a question. "What's happening?" he asked.

"The other female has engaged Zod, and we thought we'd help," Draconus said, changing to mech form. "A chance to end him for certain," he growled.

"But even three against one he was too much for us," Megatron admitted. "But the female seems to be holding her own," he said and turned to the side, allowing Ultimus and Jack to see the fight below.

Faora and Zod traded blows like no one's business, their blows being blocked or redirected as often as they collided. Faora was clearly losing the battle, albeit slowly. Her armor was covered in dents and scratches, while Zod's appeared relatively unharmed, and the woman was actually starting to bleed slightly from a few cuts.

Jack wanted to intervene, but something told him he'd just get in the way. This fight was between those two, and only one would emerge victorious. It was at that moment that the ground bridge opened and the rest of team Prime, and Arcee he noticed, emerged from the ground bridge to watch the spectacle.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Faora tripped up, moving too slow when delivering a punch, and Zod grabbed her arm. In one fluid movement, Zod punched the woman in the stomach with as much force as possible. There was a sickening crunch, and Faora's eyes widened in horror. She looked down and saw Zod's fist had pierced her midsection.

Zod looked down at his fist in horror and slowly removed it from her midsection, and Faora collapsed on the ground, grasping the wound, trying desperately to keep her life blood from spilling into the grass.

Zod cradled the woman in his arms, a guilty look over his face, and he spoke to her, too quiet for a woman to hear, but Jack could. "Faora… why?" Zod asked.

"Y-you…lost your….your way," she said weakly as a small trickle of blood escaped her mouth. "L-lost sight of our…our goal," she coughed. "We w-were to…p-preserve K-krypton, but you…you wished to d-destroy our future," she said, her words growing weaker.

"I only…I only wanted vengeance for what happened," Zod said.

"W-we didn't t-though," she said as her eyes started to close. "W-we o-only w-wanted to go…to go home," she said, and her eyes shut, her last breath escaping. Zod clenched his eyes and placed her body on the grass gently.

"Look at this," Zod said sadly, to who no one knew. "We could have built a new Krypton, but instead you chose the humans, the machines over us," he said and looked up to glare at Jack.

Jack knew what was coming and stepped into the clearing, away from the othersod "I exist, only to protect Krypton," he claimed. "That is the sole purpose, for which I was born." Zod paused slightly.

"And every action I take, no matter how violent, or how cruel is for the greater good…of my people," he said, anger starting to flow into his words. "And now…I have no people."

He scowled. "My soul…That is what you have taken from me!" he yelled and shot forward, crashing into Jack and knocking him across the ground. Jack grunted in pain as he slid to a stop and slowly stood.

"I'm going to make them suffer Kal," he snarled as he stalked towards him. "These humans and machines you've adopted, I will take them all from you, one by one,"

"You're a monster Zod," Jack said and flew up, floating in front of the general, "and I'm going to stop you," he said.

With that, the two Kryptonians shot toward each other, Jack kicking up dirt as he flew towards him, and Zod leaving small craters in the ground as he ran towards him. The two collided in a massive shockwave as dirt and grass shot everywhere, obscuring the two from vision momentarily.

Jack and Zod shot from the cloud, Jack slamming through three different buildings before crashing through a fourth one and separating. Jack let go and crashed through several desks before stopping. Jack stood to his feet while Zod stood as well.

Zod grunted in pain as his eyes began to glow a bright red, and two beams of heat vision shot from his eyes. The vision lanced out, cutting clean through the building under Jack and he floated up as it began to collapse underneath him, the damaged building collapsing around him.

Jack ignored the collapsing rubble and shot forward, launching Zod and himself out onto the street below. Jack crashed at the foot of a building, while Zod landed in front of him. Jack stood to his feet in time to see a car flying towards him at high speed. He barely caught it in time, flinging it out of the way as Zod charged towards him.

Jack shot straight up, avoiding the charging general who collided with the entrance of the building. Jack shot up towards the top of it and floated above Zod as he broke free of the rubble.

The general charged up the side of the building on all fours, like an enraged animal, and Jack shot towards him. The two collided in midair, a shockwave spreading out and tearing the face of the building apart. Both crashed into the street, leaving large craters in the street as they landed.

Rubble crashed around them as the two got back to their feet, glaring at each other. "There's only one way this can end Kal," Zod yelled. "Either you die or I do!" he yelled and shot forward, punching Jack in the stomach.

Jack doubled over in time to receive an uppercut, launching him head over heels backwards. Jack managed to stick the landing though, and blocked Zod's hook, punching him in the midsection, then in the face. The two proceeded to trade blows, each one creating miniature shockwaves from each hit.

Jack tried punching Zod in the side, only for his arm to be grabbed. Zod twisted his arm and kicked Jack in the chest knocking him back through a parking garage. Smoke billowed as he crashed through concrete pillars, only to crash through on the other side where Zod was waiting.

As Jack flew towards him from the impact, Zod raised his fists over his head and slammed down on top of Jack, slamming him into the pavement with a loud crash. Zod kicked him up into the air and grabbed him by the throat before slamming him back down into the pavement. The ground shattered from the impact, and Zod kicked Jack in the side, launching him up into a construction zone.

Jack twisted through the air and skid to a halt, just in time for Zod to leap towards him with a large metal beam in his hands. Jack quickly used his heat vision to melt through the beam. The longer half fell, and Zod missed his original strike. He quickly corrected this though by backhanding Jack with what was left of the beam.

Jack crashed back into a support beam while Zod stood in front of him hunched over. "I was trained since birth to adapt and change to any combat situation," Zod said and wrenched his torso sideways. Armor cracked and fell off him at the seams. He repeated it, and more armor fell off, until his armor was gone, leaving him in a black suit similar to Jack's.

The remaining armor never hit the ground as Zod slowly lifted into the air, arms spread. "Where did you learn to fight Kal? On a playground?" he snarled and shot towards Jack, punching him through the construction site. Jack went flying out the other side, only for Zod to appear waiting for him. Jack stopped himself and floated in front of the general only for a moment before charging towards him at top speed.

He collided with him and proceeded to repeatedly punch Zod, each punch hitting with the speed and ferocity of a cannon shot. There was a loud boom as Jack punched Zod so hard he flew across the city, crashing through the side of a building, Jack chasing after him.

He punched Zod again, launching him farther, and again, and again, until he crashed through several smaller buildings below. Glass and concrete shattered, bathing the area in rubble through an evacuated part of town. Zod shot out from the rubble, and the two engaged in hand to hand, flying upwards.

Jack grabbed Zod by the arms as they began to reach Earth orbit and flung him away from the planet towards the moon. Zod was able to stop himself by grabbing a passing satellite before twisting and flinging it at Jack.

Jack grunted in pain as the satellite collided with him, causing him to fly to the ground, heating up as he did. He and the satellite lit up the sky as the two began to burn up in re-entry until Jack managed to slow and steady himself.

He brushed off some debris and waited to cool, steam rising off his suit. He only had a brief moment though as Zod slammed into him, the two spiraling towards Earth punching and kicking as they did.

Jack and Zod separated as Jack crashed through a large skyscraper, causing a chunk of it to fall to the city below. Zod managed to steady himself and shot after Jack, who had emerged from a crater in the ground.

He elbowed the boy in the face, stunning him, before grabbing him by the cape and spinning faster and faster as he flew through the city. Jack's face slammed into the side of a building while he spun, and Zod let go. Jack went flying, crashing into Grand Central Station with a massive explosion of dust and debris.

He crashed into the main lobby and slid across the smooth tile floor, coming to a stop in the middle of the station. Jack got to his feet just as Zod flew in and landed with a BOOM in front of him, knocking Jack on his aft.

He grabbed the teen by the collar, and proceeded to punch him repeatedly in the face. Jack tried to stop him, but Zod was relentless, ignoring Jack's attempts as if they were annoyances.

Several bolts of energy slammed into Zod, and he looked up to see Jack's Arcee standing there, blasters raised. Zod snarled and dropped Jack, who tried recovering from his onslaught but was still weak.

Arcee unsheathed her blades and struck at Zod, only for the blade to shatter against his face. Arcee reared back, screaming in pain, and Zod grabbed her by the throat. "You Autobots have been a thorn in my side long enough!" he yelled and slammed Arcee into the ground, crushing her throat with one hand.

Jack slammed into the madman but was unable to knock him off her. Instead, he opted to put Zod in a strangle hold, trying to pull him off the woman he loved. Zod simply applied more pressure to Arcee's neck, crushing the tubing and metal.

"YOU CARE FOR THESE THINGS SO MUCH KAL!?" Zod screamed as his eyes turned red "THEN YOU CAN WATCH THEM DIE!" he screeched, and heat vision poured from his eyes, inches from Arcee's face.

"Zod you don't have to do this!" Jack pleaded, trying to hold the general's head away from Arcee.

Zod just cackled as the beams moved closer and closer to Arcee, who was trying to keep her head away from the beams and struggled against Zod's iron grip to no avail. Jack realized he wasn't going to be able to stop Zod and saw only one way out.

Twisting his hands, there was a loud CRACK! as Zod's neck broke, and the general fell on his side his grip on Arcee fading and his eyes losing their red color. Jack stood back, looking at Zod and then his hands in horror before falling to his knees.

"GGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHH HHHHHHH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, in pain, in horror, in guilt at the deed he'd just done, and slammed his fists into the ground, shattering the floor.

Jack had just killed a man, not a faceless soldier, or in a rage, but fully aware of his action and its consequence. He'd killed Zod in cold blood when there could have been a different way, any other way than that, but no, he'd taken the easy route and killed one of the last remnants of his people.

And despite all that Zod had done, all the pain he caused, Jack felt nothing but horror for taking his life away. Zod only did what he did because he was raised that way, was incapable of thinking of any other way to rebuild Krypton. He was a product of his society.

Jack realized this all in an instant and started sobbing, tears flowing from his face. He felt Arcee embrace him and nuzzled his head against her for any form of comfort as the tears continued to flow.

"Shhhh," she said comfortingly. "It's okay Jack, everything will be okay…It's over, it's all over," she cooed.

Jack continued to cry and sob, though they grew weaker, even when the others finally arrived, and spent the next few minutes in Arcee's arms, sobbing and crying at the horrible deed he'd done…

_Later…_

Jack lay in the temporary quarters alone, curled into a ball. After everything that'd happened after he…after he killed Zod, the Decepticons had retreated, and the Bots had returned to base. Faora's body was taken to be buried among the fallen heroes of America. True, she'd once been on Zod's side, but she'd died for the right reasons, and in the end it was the least they could do.

Now though, Jack just wanted to be alone, to be away from everyone. They'd tried comforting him before he'd disappeared, telling him it wasn't his fault, that there was no other option. Jack knew they were wrong. Jack had killed Zod, not in rage but because he hadn't considered other ways to get him off Arcee, and he could have.

He could have flown up with Zod in hand, used his hand to cover his eyes, though it would have hurt, or done something that didn't kill him. But no, in the end he took the easy way out and killed him, snapped his neck like a twig. There was no excuse, plain and simple; Jack was a murderer.

Dusk claimed that compared to killing someone in a rage and not remembering it, only standing over the bloodied corpse of your enemy was worse. Jack had to disagree. With the rage one could use it as an excuse, or often the person wasn't haunted by the process. Even Jack's rage induced fit that had occurred when Kara was hurt he barely remembered.

Not Zod's death, he would remember that death for years to come, every little detail of the fight and the details of how he ended that life was seared into his memories. At least Dusk didn't have to remember the details, if only to remember them in her dreams.

Jack heard the door to the room open and clenched his eyes shut "Go away," he mumbled.

The person didn't leave, and he felt a servo on his shoulder. He looked up slightly to see Arcee standing over him. The femme kneeled beside him, a concerned look on her faceplate. Jack just turned his head away from her in shame.

"Jack, talk to me," she said quietly. Jack didn't respond.

Arcee sighed. "Jack, what happened wasn't your fault," Arcee said.

Jack mumbled something in response. "What was that?" Arcee asked softly.

"Yes, it was," he said. "I could have done something different, found some sort of way to beat him without…." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

Jack finally looked to Arcee. "I shouldn't have killed him; I never kill," Jack said.

"You were placed in a tough situation and had to make a quick decision," Arcee said.

"I still could have made a better call," Jack muttered.

"Jack, listen to me," Arcee said. "Everyone makes a bad call they regret; I've made plenty, but you have to put this behind you," she said. Jack looked away, but Arcee wasn't going to let that happen.

"Listen Jack," she said, again turning his face to face her. "Do you think you and I would ever have wound up together if I'd spent my days moping over the loss of my partners?" she asked.

Jack slowly shook his head. The femme had a point. "Then you have two choices Jack: stay here and brood or come out and be with your friends…and me," she said softly.

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he thought about what Arcee had said. She had a point. Arcee had suffered much from losing her partners, and though it hurt, she didn't let it ruin her life and continued to fight and do her job.

Granted, she had almost shut everyone out, but she hadn't had anyone to help her through it. Jack did, and maybe instead dealing with this pain alone, he could let others help, like they had with his dreams.

Jack smiled. "Thanks Arcee," he said.

Arcee returned the smile. "Anytime partner," she said and stood. "Now, how about we head on out to the others, pretty sure they're worried about you," she said.

A smile crossed Jack's face as he stood. "I think I have a better idea," he said.

"Oh?" Arcee asked, hands on her hips. "And what might that be?" she asked.

Jack smiled and grabbed Arcee, dipping her as he kissed her for several moments. "That," he said as the two broke apart.

"I don't know," she responded playfully. "Our track record so far hasn't been very good," she said. Jack ran a finger between the seam on her winglet and back, causing Arcee to shiver.

"But hey, what the heck," she purred and pulled him in for another kiss.

Suddenly… "Well it's good to see you back to normal, Kal," Dusk said, surprising the two. Jack let go of Arcee in surprise, and the femme fell to the floor with a clank.

"Doesn't anyone knock!?" Jack exclaimed as he helped his girlfriend to her feet.

Dusk smirked "No, not really," she said, and Jack glared at her. "Anyway, the others were wondering if you were okay, so they sent me to check on you when Arcee didn't come back," she said, and Arcee turned a pale blue. "Now we know," she said with a faint smile.

Jack sighed and hopped off the berth, Arcee behind him and walked out of the room. "Arcee," Dusk said, and the femme turned to her. "Can I talk to you alone for a moment?" she asked. Her voice was slightly nervous, but Jack dismissed it, it was probably just Dusk being nervous about talking to the femme. After Arcee chewed her out, he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

Arcee nodded before turning back to Jack. "I'll meet you out there in a minute," she said.

Jack nodded and walked off, mumbling about lack of privacy as he did. Arcee turned to Dusk. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

**A/N: Once again, another cliffhanger. So ends the Zod saga. It lasted far longer than the original three or four chapters I had planned, didn't it? I am sad to say that the crossover shall be ending soon, though I have a feeling this won't be the last time our stories cross over. On a side note, Elhini will be uploading her half later today or early tomorrow, just a heads up. Anyway, remember to Review with Critique, or PM us with plot based questions or ideas. Bye!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Goodbyes

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack walked down the halls towards the main living area, his mind finally in some semblance of ease. His talk with Arcee had helped him to calm down, and while he still felt terrible for what he'd done, he wasn't going to let it run his life. He had to move on from the past, to look to the future.

The portal would be finished today and Jack could finally return home, back to the old base and his old house. He may not have liked every aspect of his life, but that didn't mean he didn't miss it, the school his friends. The only thing he didn't miss was the K.O burger and he was pretty sure that place was destroyed, much to his happiness.

Jack smiled at the thought of that hellish establishment being destroyed and turned a corner, when he suddenly heard sparking and a loud clank of metal hitting concrete. He turned in the direction of the noise before realizing where the noise had come from. When he made the connection he felt his pulse speed up.

That was the same direction as Arcee and Dusk! Jack took off running down the halls as concern ran through his mind. He wondered if maybe Arcee had insulted Dusk or done something to get the Halfling angry. Minus their prank on Ratchet the two never really got along all that well, in part due to Dusk's prank.

Jack just hoped that wasn't the case and slid around a corner to an odd sight. Dusk stood in shock over the limp form of Arcee who lay on the floor, sparks shooting from her helm. It was then that Jack realized that Dusk must have said something to make the Femme glitch.

Jack calmed down and approached the two more calmly, walking instead of running. Dusk looked up at him with fear on her face. This puzzled Jack until he realized the girl likely thought he would lose his temper if he saw Arcee like that.

Jack hid his smile as he kneeled down next to Arcee and cradled her gently to himself, and decided to pull a small prank of his own on Dusk. He calmed himself and bowed his head keeping his face away from Dusks sight.

"What… Happened?" he demanded, making his voice serious and dark.

"Kal I…" she started, her voice quivering with fear.

Jack had to try hard not to laugh at how timid Dusk was acting "What, happened!?" he asked making his voice angrier while laughing manically on the inside. Arcee stirred slightly but Dusk didn't notice.

"Kal I swear it was an accident, I didn't mean to cause her to glitch like this!" she yelled, her voice becoming hysteric

Jack had to keep all his effort from collapsing into fits of laughter, those his frame trembled slightly from holding it in. Dusk apparently took this the wrong way and thought he was losing it.

"Kal please don't be mad, please, please, please, don't be mad!" she pleaded backing away from him.

At this point Jack couldn't hold back his laugh anymore and collapsed into laughter, setting Arcee on the floor so he could laugh without dropping her. Dusk looked at Jack confused at first by his reaction, as if she didn't expect him to start busting out laughing.

"W-what?" she asked, clearly confused.

Jack held his sides as he continued to laugh "O-oh m-my god, my sides," he said trying to catch his breath "You should have seen the look on your face!" he collapsed into another fit of laughter while Dusk glared at him.

"Oh. My. Primus. YOU JERK!" Dusk screamed, causing Jack's laughter to die down "YOU HAD ME BELIEVING YOU WERE TOTALLY TICKED OFF AT ME YOU LITTLE FRAGGER!" she yelled.

Jack grinned at her "Consider it payback for all the times you and the others have walked in on Arcee and I," he said with a smile. He picked Arcee up off the floor and turned to place her in their quarters.

As he took a step forward a thought occurred to him "Exactly what did you tell Arcee?" Jack asked turning to the Halfling. Dusks anger seemed to evaporate quickly enough at that question.

Dusk became very withdrawn scuffing her shoe against the floor, similar to Kara. When she did that Jack couldn't help but compare the two, they were so a like in so many ways. Dusk was just more… Fiery, in how she acted. Most of the time.

"I may have…" Dusk paused and seemed to wander if she should tell Jack what had caused his girlfriend to faint "I may have told Arcee that in my universe she's… My mother," she said.

There was a loud clank as Jack dropped Arcee on the floor, his mouth hanging open in shock. Sure it was shocking to find out she was his counterparts aunt, but to find out that a counterpart of Arcee was Dusks mom… That was just too much.

Then Jack remembered how when Dusk and the others… Stumbled upon the two in their embrace, Dusk looked like she was going to faint. Now it made sense, she was seeing the equivalent of her mother making out with her brother. Jack's face turned as red as his suits cape and he felt unconsciousness take him as he fell on his back spread eagle.

_Later…_

Jack slowly woke from his unconsciousness to find himself lying on a berth in the med bay. He rubbed his head as he tried to remember how he'd passed out when Dusks startling revelation came back into his mind. His face burned red as he realized how awkward he'd made things for her and everyone else.

Though to be fair, no one ever hinted at their relation before, so how was he supposed to know that? Still, he decided that he and Arcee would have to tone down their affection towards each other, at least until they left.

He heard a small moan and turned to see Arcee awakening from her own bout of unconsciousness. The femme sat up, supporting herself with a servo, and placed her other servo on her head.

"I feel like someone just dropped me on the floor and drug me across the ground," she complained, servo still on her head.

Jack smiled and stood placing a hand on her shoulder causing the femme to turn to him before smiling. Then she remembered what Dusk had told her and her faceplate turned bright blue, causing Jack to chuckle.

"I take it that Dusk told you?" she said.

Jack nodded "I reacted about the same as you, that is I passed out from shock," he said.

"Well, I can't say I was expecting that and I guess it explains why she was so uncomfortable about our intimacy," Arcee admitted.

Jack smiled "But I thought you liked our alone time," he said wrapping an arm around her.

"I don't think we've gotten any alone time since we got her Jack," she deadpanned.

Jack shuddered "Yeah, I think you've got a point," he said. He ran a finger across the seams of her winglets before standing back up.

"We should probably head to the main all, let everyone know were fine," he said.

The femme nodded and Jack helped her off the berth "Well aren't you the gentleman," she teased. Jack rolled his eyes and the two made their way into the main area were everyone was currently hanging out.

Amber was the first to notice the couple and pointed them out "Hey! Look!" she shouted "Sleeping beauty and Prince Charming are awake!"

Everyone's eyes and optics snapped to the two as they walked in and Jack felt self conscious as usual. He did not like it when he was made the center of attention, it made him nervous.

"Seems like you two are okay," Ultimus said. The two looked at each other, and then to Dusk who hid her face. She looked a little embarrassed, though truthfully Arcee and Jack were just as embarrassed .

"We've… been worse," Jack admitted, remembering his near death experience with the terrorcon.

Yeah…it's a shocker when you find out," Ultimus shrugged, "Everyone had their own reaction..."

"Like how when we found out what you were?" Miko piped up. Jack perked up, how had the others reacted to finding out he wasn't human in this verse? Apparently, Ultimus wasn't keen on repeating the story.

"But I'd have to say, yours'…was the funniest one I've seen," he finished, ignoring her, "I don't think we've had anyone faint before,"

"Oh, you forget Fowler," Amber chuckled, "How many times did he look between the two?"

"Seven," Ben said, "And then he crashed," he finished with a laugh.

"So the Fowler in this universe doesn't handle shock very well either huh?" Jack asked.

Everyone looked at him curiously, and he explained "When the rest of the team found out, I came back to base with them, and Fowler… took it well," he said.

"If by took it well, fell flat on his back unconscious, then yes he took it well," Arcee said with a laugh.

"I guess that Fowler is the universal comic relief then," Amber said.

"Comic relief?" Kara asked, currently floating above everyone's head. She had a habit of flying at every possible moment, something Jack had a little more control over, but the practice was good for her. Her Earth terms were growing more varied, but there was still the occasional term that baffled her.

"Comic relief," Dusk explained, the girl having filled the role of Earth explanations for his sister "Basically a person who's only purpose is to make people laugh," she said.

Kara nodded "That describes the loud mouth well," she said with a smile. Jack chuckled at his sister's nickname of Fowler, a very fitting name if he'd ever heard one.

After that little laugh, a loud sparking noise emanated from the ground bridge, and Jack's Wheeljack cursed "Pit stained piece of scrap," he growled.

"Everything going okay over there Jackie?" Sean asked.

"It's fine kid, just crossed a few wires I shouldn't have crossed," he replied "Still, should have the portal up and running by late tonight or tomorrow," he said confidently. The mood in the base dried into a somber atmosphere at this revelation.

"Then I guess… this will be good bye," Jack said, looking at the humans and bots assembled. He knew that they would be going home soon, that they would have to leave but still. Jack had made friendships here formed bonds, and he was reluctant to leave. The others it looked like, shared his sentiment, they all had saddened looks on their faces.

Amber had a sad look on her face, when the girl suddenly perked up "Wait a minute, just because you're going home, doesn't mean we can't come for a visit!" she exclaimed.

Everyone looked at her curiously "Amber, what do you mean?" Dusk asked "The portal is one way, remember? Even if we did come for a visit, how would we get back?"

"Hellooo!" she said knocking on Dusks head "they have a portal too, remember, we can travel back and forth all we want!" she said excitedly, and realization dawned on Jack and the others.

"Wow… I can't believe I'm saying this… but that's a really good point Amber," Ben said.

Amber beamed proudly, before frowning "Hey wait a minute!" she said indignantly, causing everyone to laugh at her expense.

"Well, now that we have that settled, there's just one thing left to do," Miko said.

"And that is?" Jack asked, slightly terrified of what the answer would be. When it came to Miko, her ideas could be just as terrifying, if not more so, then Ambers. Lord help them all if she and Dusk came up with ideas together. Jack was pretty sure the base would implode if all three of them worked together.

"The party!" she exclaimed.

June looked at her confused "What party?" she asked.

"A victory slash good bye party of course! You know, to say good bye to you guys and celebrate the not the end of the world," She said excitedly.

"She's got a point there," Ben nodded, "It'd get us a little way to say goodbye to you guys,"

"And a little way to say thanks for putting up with us," Sean added, "Well, Ben and Jack,"

"Hey!" both of said mentionees shouted in unison. Truth be told, Ben had been relatively tolerant of Jack since he'd arrived and apologized to Dusk. Ultimus was the real pain in the aft, though his grudge thankfully died. Jack was not eager to start up another feud with his counterpart.

"It's not going to be another repeat of the pool party…is it?" Dusk asked, "Because if I remember right…I ended up getting…"

"No, it's not like that," Amber snickered, "Although it was funny when Jack and Smokey…"

"Ah!" Ultimus interrupted as Dusk gave him an evil glare, "Let's not go into details,"

Jack raised a questioning eyebrow. What exactly did Ultimus do to his sister that made her so angry. He looked at Ultimus who just sighed.

"Don't ask," he said, "Let's just put it this way…never get her wet…it hurts when she gets dry and finds out who did it…"

"Good to know," Jack replied.

"If it's a party they want," Elita said, "Then we'll have to get supplies,"

"Oh, you mean like ice cream and pop?" Sean asked.

Jack noticed that Ultra Magnus shudder at the mention of pop. This made him raise a brow, the commander appeared pretty collected, so this begged the question. What did Dusk do to him that involved soda?

"At least the pool is closed?" Ben laughed nervously.

"As long as the Halfling keeps her 'pop' away from me," Ultra Magnus growled, "I think we will be fine,"

Dusk stuck out her tongue at the Commander. The two never really got along, Magnus was too by the book, and personally Jack found him irritating as well. Luckily he didn't involve himself with social events too often it seemed, so the two had rarely interacted on his little visit.

"Let's get going then," Elita said, "Femmes and ladies, let's go get the food supplies…mechs and men…you will stay at Base and work on the decorations,"

"B-but Mom!" Ultimus started.

She shot him a glare and Jack chuckled quietly, "Yes Mom," Ultimus squeaked.

"Not to mention, you guys have no clue when it comes to shopping," Amber snickered.

"There's just one problem," Jack said, "How are the femmes going to…"

"That's easy," Arcee II smiled, walking up to Ultimus.

The Prime touched her servo and her form shimmered and began to shrink and morph until a human woman stood by Ultimus. She was slightly shorter than the Prime with blue eyes, laced with violet. Her hair was short and choppy and when the light hit it, appeared almost blue. Her bangs were colored pink and she had pale white skin. She wore a blue shirt and black pants with black boots.

Jack bit his lip, trying not to stare at the human Arcee, and could feel the warning waves rolling off his Arcee. So he made sure not to stare and focused his look on his counterpart instead.

"It's ok," Ultimus said, "It's easy to forget at times,"

He turned to Arcee, "You want to join the girls or do you want to stay here?" he asked. Jack felt his pulse elevate at him offering this and had a feeling he was going to pass out.

"Ep, ep, ep!" Ratchet growled, "She is still grounded,"

"Aw, c'mon, Ratch," Dusk said, "Let her come…she'll have Mom and our 'Cee supervising her,"

He glared at her and then at Arcee, who was starting to give Ratchet the Sparkling Eyes. Jack knew that when she wanted, his girlfriend could pull them off on anyone. He was thankful she hadn't tried it on him, he wasn't sure what would happen.

"Fine," he growled.

"I think this is going to be interesting," Arcee said, coming over to Ultimus.

He touched her on the shoulder and her form shifted under his touch as she gained a more human form. Her hair was more noticeably blue than my aunt's, with pink streaks that mirrored the pink armor she wore on her helm. Her eyes were sapphire blue, like Dusk's, but laced with hints of violet.

She had creamy white skin, was slightly taller than Kal, and had an hourglass figure. She was dressed in a white tank top with a blue jacket and black jeans that hugged her body as well as a pair of blue boots. All in all, if Arcee II was attractive, Arcee was downright stunning.

Jack's jaw worked, but nothing was coming out. Ultimus smiled as Arcee II turned to her boyfriend and placed her hands on her hips. Jack felt his throat close and his mind going blank.

"What do you think?" she asked.

He felt something roll under his nose and realized he had a nosebleed. His eyes then promptly rolled into the back of his skull and the boy fell flat on his back.

"I'm not that hideous, am I?" Arcee asked, turning to Ultimus.

"Oh no," Dusk said, "You're anything but. He's just stunned…"

"He'll wake up in a bit," Ultimus shrugged.

"As for us, let's all get going," Dusk said, turning to the rest of the girls, "We want to hit the stores before they close,"

"Ratchet, can you activate the ground bridge?" Elita asked.

The Medic nodded and started up the Bridge, letting the women go through. As the bridge closed, Jack began to wake up from fainting. He felt a rubbed the back of his head to ease the pain at the back of his skull

"Owwww," Jack moaned, "What happened?"

"Dude, you fainted again…just by seeing your girlfriend," Sean snorted.

Jack rubbed his head and remembered Arcee's human appearance. If it was difficult at times for him to talk with the femme before… It was going to be downright impossible now. He looked around for a sign of the woman, and realized she was gone.

"Where'd she go?" he asked

"Arcee?" Ultimus responded, "She went with the other femmes to get supplies for the party,"

"Speaking of the party," Ben started, "I think we should get a move on with the decorations…Or else Amber will have our helms and heads,"

Jack shuddered at the thought of what the rocker would do to him and the others if they didn't get decorating. The group of males and mechs quickly got to work decorating the hangar area for the party. Sean had grabbed a bag of streamers and gave them to Jack.

"Can you put those up in the rafters?" he asked "You're the only one who can reach them,"

Jack shrugged and took off to the beams in the ceilings. He grabbed the streamers and tied them to one end of the rafter and flew to the other end of the hangar. He weaved in between the beams, creating a nice wavy pattern of red and white streamers.

Once that was finished, he made his way to the next beam and repeated the process. In no time at all he was finished and stopped to admire his handiwork. The streamers were elegantly hung in the rafters weaving between each beam, creating a double helix shape on each individual rafter.

He heard a low whistle and turned in mid air to see Ben admiring the handiwork "Nice work Kal, we have some helium canisters in the storage room, can you pick them up real quick?" he asked.

"No problem," he said and took off, creating a slight stir as he flew to the room. Several seconds later he was back casually holding four helium canisters on his shoulders. He touched down next to him and set the canisters next to the man.

"Thanks Kal," Ben said. Jack nodded and looked to see Ratchet was cleaning up some of his equipment.

"Hey Ratchet!" Jack called and chuckled as the medic jumped.

He groaned and looked at Jack "What!? I'm quite busy right now, so unless it's something important, leave me alone!" he yelled.

Jack ignored the medics temper "I was just going to ask if you needed any help cleaning up your equipment so it wouldn't get damaged in the party," he said eyeing Sean.

"What?" Sean asked indignantly.

Jack just laughed at his reaction before Ratchet got his attention "Actually, I would greatly appreciate that Kal-El," he said and pointed to a stack of boxes no human could lift.

"Can you take those to storage?" he asked.

"Of course," Jack said and flew to the crates lifting them easily.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"That is all for now," the medic said turning away, before he froze "Actually… there is one thing," he said.

Jack raised a brow "Thank you," Ratchet said quietly and walked off with his equipment. Jack almost dropped the crates he was holding before he regained his composure.

Ultimus walked up to him in mech form a confused look on his faceplates "Did hatchet just say thank you?" he asked.

"I-I'm not sure," Jack said.

"You must have really grown on him, I almost never seem him use common courtesy," Ultimus said.

Jack shrugged "I have great powers, I just can't stand by and let people struggle when I know I could help them," he admitted.

Ultimus nodded "Guess that is one thing we have in common, we have to defend others, even if we get hurt in the process," he said.

"You have no idea," Jack said, feeling the scars on his back.

"Anyway, I got to take these to storage, I'll be right back," Jack said. Ultimus nodded and Jack shot off taking the crates back to storage. He quickly and carefully set them down, before taking off and heading back to the main area.

As he entered it, he saw Bulkhead and both Wheeljack's carrying in Energon cubes. They were different than the ones he was used to seeing. The cubes themselves were covered in their standard bluish grey color, with the light of the energy signing through. Their edges flared out at each corner. But there was one key difference. The blue highlights, the signs of Energon, were a brighter white color than the Energon he was used to.

"What kind of Energon is that?" he asked, standing on the railing with ease.

"High-Grade Energon, consider it the equivalent of human alcohol," Bulkhead explained "We only break it out on rare party occasions. This seemed like the perfect time," he said.

"Didn't know you guys had the equivalent of alcohol," Jack admitted "Of course, we never really had a reason to pull it out," he said, thinking to the many bitter sweet victories they'd gone through.

It was at that moment though, that Miko's voice sounded over the terminal _"Ratchet, we're ready to go!"_ she said excitedly.

Ratchet opened the bridge and the females all walked through the portal with a variety of bags holding all forms of food. Jack spotted his Arcee in the group and felt his throat go dry at the site of her.

"We're baaaack" Dusk announced as the group of females entered the base "Ah… whoa, that's new," she said. The group followed her gaze and their eyes fell on the high grade Energon.

Jack noticed his counterpart was looking at the high grade curiously. Unfortunately, so did his mother " JACKSON WILLIAM DARBY! GET AWAY FROM THOSE CUBES IF YOU VALUE YOUR SPARK!" She yelled.

Jack collapsed into fits of laughter as Ultimus practically jumped through the roof of the base "I didn't touch it!" he shouted "What did I do!?" he demanded. Jack tried regaining his composure but fell into another fit of laughter at look on his face.

Elita glared at the mechs,"Who. Brought. High. Grade?" she growled. Jack felt himself shiver at her tone of voice. It was a terrifying tone, and he'd heard his own mother use it before.

Ultimus sidled up to Dusk, "What's high grade?" he asked.

"How would I know?"she shrugged, "I've never heard of it until today,"

"High grade…" Dr. Williams hummed, "Oh! I remember, June said something about it being the Cybertronian equivalent of alcohol,"

Ultimus grimaced, "Anything else Mom said?" Dusk asked.

"Well…something about not letting Jack or Optimus near it," Williams shrugged, "Apparently Optimus can't hold it very well,"

Jack had to hold back another burst of laughter at this. Optimus couldn't hold his liquor very well, who knew? He let out another laugh as the mental image of a drunken Optimus Prime entered his minds.

Elita's icy gaze pierced through the room, finally landing on both Wheeljacks and Bulkhead.

"You two," she growled darkly, "Of all the mechs here…you two seem the most likely culprits for having a stash of high grade," she said.

"It just seemed like a good idea, we haven't had any of the stuff in years," Wheeljack II said. Elita glared at him, and he and Bulkhead shrank down.

The other Wheeljack, having almost no interaction time with Elita… Did not…

"Look, Elita, I don't see what the big deal is, it's just a little High Grade, keep it away from the younglings and it'll be fine," he said. Ultimus let out and indignant grunt.

"Youngling? Really?" he asked.

Jack laughed as he walked up behind him and Dusk "Well, you are still underage," he pointed out.

"So are you," he countered "In fact I'm pretty sure you're younger than me,"

"True," Jack admitted, and smirked as Ultimus's chest swelled "But then again, I'm not the one who got scolded. Plus, I can still throw you through a wall," he pointed out. Ultimus deflated like a popped balloon, and Dusk laughed at her brothers damaged ego.

"NOT A BIG DEAL!" Elita yelled and they all turned to see she was in femme form glaring at Wheeljack. This… was going to be painful to watch.

"Ten seconds," Amber said.

"Nah, five," Dusk disagreed.

"What are we counting for?" Jack asked confused. Neither girls answered him, and he returned his gaze to the dispute.

"I will not have that vial drink around my children!" she declared. Wheeljack and Elita glared at each other, neither one backing down. Jack had to admit, it was impressive to actually see someone stand up to his moms counterpart.

"I don't take orders from you ma'am," he growled. The defiance was impressive, to say the least… Until Elita grabbed Wheeljack by the audio receptor and dragged him off to a corner.

"You and I are going to have a long talk mister," she growled and dragged the unfortunate wrecker with her.

"3.5 seconds, new record," Dusk said.

Kara looked at her confused "New record for what?" she asked.

"How long anyone's lasted against mom," Dusk explained. Kara's eyes widened and she looked nervously to June.

"Behave yourself and we'll never have a problem," she said sweetly. Kara nodded hurriedly, and looked away from June.

Several minutes later, Elita and Wheeljack reentered the main hall. Elita had a look of satisfaction on her faceplate, and Wheeljack… His faceplate looked pale, if that was even possible, and he was shaking slightly.

"R-remind me to never argue with Elita again," he said as he grabbed the high-grade Energon and walked out of the room. Everyone laughed at how the wrecker was acting, before they focused back on the party.

"Alright!" Amber said, clapping her hands once, "If all arguments are said and done…let the party begin!"

The whole base fell silent "What?" she asked, confused.

Jack rubbed the back of his head "Exactly… how do we start a party?" he asked.

Amber and Miko's jaws hit the floor "You're kidding!?" they said in unison.

"This is the alien teen who made friends with a twelve year old prodigy and a 15 year old rocker when he was 16," Jack said "My experience at social events is… lacking," he admitted.

"Well, it's simple," Miko said, "If we had some music people could dance play games eat or stuff," she glared at Jack, "But _someone_ stole our instruments,"

Ultimus looked at Jack "You did that? No wonder I've been able to get a good night's sleep lately," he said with a smile.

Jack sighed "Since we're leaving today anyway, I'll give you back your instruments," he said. There were several groans and complaints and Jack turned to them.

"It's that or we all stand here awkwardly," Jack said. There was a silence before, reluctantly, all the bots and humans nodded in agreement. Jack took off and grabbed the materials they needed.

He landed in front of the two, chord and drumsticks in hand, and saw their eyes light up. They reached for them, but Jack held them out of reach "You only get these back on two conditions," he said.

The two dropped their hands and Jack explained "First, no more heavy metal at 7 in the morning," he said. The two immediately began their protests.

"What!" Amber said.

"Dude, not cool!" Miko yelled in agreement.

"Ep!" he interrupted "Do you want this stuff back or not?" he asked. The two shut their mouths.

"That's what I thought," he said, and continued "And the music for the party must be whatever anyone wants, not just what you want," he said.

The two glared at him silently "Deal?" he asked.

Amber and Miko mumbled something and Jack smirked. He cupped a hand to his ear "What was that? I couldn't quiet hear you,"

"Deal…" they growled.

Jack smiled and tossed them their equipment "Enjoy," he said.

The two eagerly grabbed hold of their instruments and got into their positions and were about to start playing "Hold it!" Sean said.

Amber groaned "What Sean?" she asked.

The boy smiled mischievously "You get to play something I want for once," he said.

The two glared at Jack then Sean, before sighing "Fine, what do you want us to play?" they asked irritated.

Sean walked up to the two and whispered the song into their ears. They seemed to perk up slightly and began playing a form of rock song Jack had never heard before.

As Sean walked away from the two, Jack decided to ask him about it "Exactly what song is that?" he asked.

"Just a little song called _Hero"_ he said. Jack raised a brow but nodded and the boy walked off.

A song now going, the party started off, relatively slow. The inhabitants of the base mostly broke into smaller groups interacting or talking with each other. The humans were with other humans, the wreckers were exchanging war stories, and several of the other bots were either talking with their charges or amongst themselves.

All except three, Jack realized. He looked around realized that there was no sign of Kara, Dusk, or Elita. They'd just vanished, and Jack shivered. No telling what his sister and Dusk were up to, and he figured it was best to go searching for them.

As he was about to go looking for them though "Jack," a female voice said from behind him. The boy froze and slowly turned, fearing the worst. His hear jumped in his throat as he saw his Arcee standing before him.

Arcee placed a hand on her hip "Figured you and I could spend some time together," she said smiling. Jack felt himself go weak in the knees, unable to form a sentence.

_'Damn it Jack! She's your girlfriend, talk to her!'_ he thought angrily. He tried to say something, but the words refused to come out.

Arcee tilted her head to the side "Jack, is something wrong?" she asked, worried. Ever since she'd been made human, her boyfriend had been acting strange.

"I…ugh…"he started and saw Kara, Dusk, and Elita walking out of a hall with plates of food "I… have to go," he said quickly, and rushed off before Arcee could say anything.

Jack quickly approached the girls and the trays of food as they set them down. Jack caught whiff of fresh brownies wafting through the air, and felt his mouth water slightly. Sugary snacks for him were far and in between, June had a very strict policy when it came to sweets.

The three noticed Jack, and Jack noticed dried batter in Kara and Dusks hair "What happened to you two?" he asked as he approached, his eyes occasionally drifting to the brownies. They smelled delicious, but he'd have to be careful, if his mom caught him, he'd regret it.

"Well you see," Dusk started.

"We tried making brownies by ourselves," Kara blurted.

"Kara!" Dusk exclaimed as Jack chuckled "You don't just say that!" she said.

"Well its true," she countered.

Dusk pinched her nose "Yes, but you don't just flat out say that!" she explained.

Kara opened her mouth to counter, when Jack interrupted them "That's all said and good, but… are the brownies for everyone?" he asked.

Elita shrugged "Go ahead," she said. Jack turned to the brownies and carefully grabbed one. It was still a little hot, and he was afraid his mom was going to catch him.

He was about to take a bite, when a hand snatched it from his grip. Jack turned to the offender and froze when he saw his mom standing there, a disappointed look on her face.

"Jackson Darby," she said "What is my number one rule?" she asked.

"Don't use cars for target practice?" he asked, inciting a few chuckles from the others.

June sighed "No, my _other_ number one rule concerning food," she said.

Jacks head fell "No sweets," he said sadly.

His head shot back up "But, mom, just this once, pleeeease?" he begged.

"Why isn't he allowed to have sweets anyway?" Dusk asked.

"Ever had to deal with a super powered kid on a sugar rush?" She asked.

"No," Dusk answered seriously.

"Well there's your answer," she replied, and turned back to Jack.

"Mom, I got over that years ago, and come on, it's a party," he pointed out, but his mother stood firm.

"Rules are rules Jack," she said.

"Please, just this once?" he pleaded, ignoring the laughs from Dusk.

June didn't budge, and Jack broke out a secret weapon he'd been preparing for a special occasion. Humans referred to them as puppy dog eyes, but Dusk called them sparkling eyes. She claimed no one could resist them, and Jack had memorized in detail how to pull them off perfectly.

"Pleeeease," he begged again, this time pulling off his own sparkling eyes.

"That won't work on me mister," she said defiantly. Jack continued to give her a pleading look, and he saw her falter.

"Jackson, stop," she said, but Jack continued to beg.

June let out a groan "Okay fine, you can have one," she said, and handed him the brownie. Jacks eyes lit up.

"But," June said, and Jack froze "Just, one. Got it?" she asked.

Jack nodded, and proceeded to wolf down the entire brownie in two bites. He let out a pleased moan as he swallowed it.

"Oh my god that was good," he said as he finished the last of the brownie.

Dusk gave him a curious look "Never had a brownie before?" she joked.

"Only a few, mom is strict with her rules, how do you think I stayed hidden all those years?' he replied.

"Makes sense," Dusk said with a nod.

"Now weather she'll stay as strict since my secret is out, and that we have Kara now, is anybody's guess," Jack said.

Kara looked at her brother in surprised "You mean you'll actually let me… stay with you?" she asked.

Jack looked at her "Of course Kara, why wouldn't we?" he asked, her reaction was a tad confusing.

"'I've just felt like a burden and didn't want to impose," she admitted tilting her head down.

Jack was in shock over this, he didn't realize that Kara felt like this. He had kept her safe to make sure she wouldn't get hurt, but he never felt she was a burden.

"Kara," he started "What would make you think you were a burden?" he asked.

"I…I just seemed to get in the way and cause trouble," Kara said sadly.

The three looked at her sadly and Jack draped a comforting arm around her "Kara, you have never gotten in the way," he said "You're just learning, you've only been here for a few days, you're bound to make mistakes," he said.

He smiled as he continued "But you were never a burden, not to me or anyone else," he said. Kara looked up at the others around her and they nodded in agreement with her brother.

"Besides, you're family, and remember what I told you," he said.

"Family always stick together," she repeated with a smile.

"Exactly," he said and took a step back.

"You always know what to say Jack," a voice said from behind him, and whirred to see Arcee standing there, and once again his throat seized up.

"I…ugh…" he mumbled unable to form a statement. His mind though, was racing, and he was furious with himself for not speaking.

_'For god's sake man, she's your girlfriend stop acting like this!'_ his brain said. His emotions however, were in full control of him right now.

Arcee raised a brow and waved her hand in front of the stunned Jack "Jack? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I think you broke him," Dusk commented with a laugh.

Arcee snapped her fingers in front of Jacks face "JACK!" she repeated and the boy blinked and stumbled back, falling on his rear.

Dusk collapsed into laughter and Kara giggled at her brothers awkwardness and Jack just rubbed his head turning bright red. This was absolutely humiliating, he was always so collected, why was he acting like this?

_'Because you have no idea how to talk to a beautiful women,'_ his mind sighed and Jack agreed with is mind.

Arcee coughed to get his attention and he looked up at her. Bad move, every angle of her, in Jacks mind anyway, was stunning and only made it worse.

The femme placed her hands on her hips "Jack, what's going on, why are you acting like this?" she demanded.

Jack managed to mumble out something, though Arcee couldn't hear him "What was that?" she asked.

Before Jack could respond, Kara relayed the message "He said you're too….beautiful?" she said confused. Dusk broke into more laughter and Elita rolled her eyes before walking off.

"This true?" Arcee asked. Jack nodded nervously, not quite sure how Arcee would react.

Arcee narrowed her eyes, before she grabbed his arm and pulled him up "You're coming with me," she said and dragged the boy with her to somewhere private. Jack shot a pleading look to the others as his girlfriend dragged him off, but Dusk just saluted him, while Kara waved goodbye.

_'Looks like I'll have to face this alone'_ he thought as Arcee dragged him into a hallway.

"Ok," she said as she faced him, hands on her hips "Why are you really acting like this Jack?" she asked.

"I…w-what a-are you talking about?" he asked relieved he at least found his voice now.

"Don't give me that scrap Jack, remember what happened last time," she growled. Jack shuddered as he remembered.

"I-I wasn't l-lying," he said.

"Why are you acting so strange because I'm human now? I mean when I became human sized you didn't act this way. Are you saying my real form isn't up to your standards," she growled.

"WHAT!?" Jack yelped "No, no, Arcee, that's not it at all," he said.

The femme arched an eyebrow "Care to explain why you were avoiding me?" she asked.

"I…you were… I don't know okay!" he exclaimed "Same reason I acted like an idiot around Sierra! I'm not used to talking to human girls," he said "At least, not the ones I find…attractive," he finished his face heating up.

Arcee's gaze softened "So… you weren't lying, you really do think I'm… beautiful?" she asked.

The way she said it suggested she was unsure of it herself and Jack looked at her slightly shocked before trying to comfort her "Of course, I always have Arcee, even when you were Cybertronian. It was just a different kind of beauty," he said, his under confidence fading as he talked.

Arcee blushed slightly at his compliment, her cheeks turning rosy red "You really are a smooth operator, you know that?" she asked taking a subtle step towards him.

"So I've been told," he responded, and without warning, Arcee had her lips planted on his. His eyes widened in shock at this, before he returned it. The two went at this for several seconds embracing each other. But it seems that the universe had no love for their privacy, and someone coughed to get his attention.

The two broke apart and turned to see June standing there, arms crossed "Mom," Jack said nervously, his face turning bright red, Arcee's doing the same "c-can I help you with something?" he asked.

"Just was trying to check on you," she said "I don't suppose the three of us need to have another safety talk, do we?" she asked.

"NO!" was Jack and Arcee's simultaneous response. June smiled at this and turned to walk away.

"Stay in the main area for the rest of our stay, got it?" she ordered. Jack mumbled at her and she laughed as she walked off.

The two turned to each other "Guess we have to go back out there, huh?" he asked.

Arcee pulled him in for a light kiss before breaking off "Guess we do," she responded, before walking off. Jack stood in place watching her leave, and felt his eyes travel down before he shook himself.

"Focus Jack, focus," he angrily told himself before following. The two noticed a loud crowd of bots and humans forming and decided to investigate.

"What's going on?" Jack asked as they approached.

"Nothing," Dusk said quickly, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"Nothing, huh?" Jack asked, the Halfling was clearly hiding something.

"Yep," she replied innocently, making the two immediately suspicious.

"Nothing means mischief in my book," Arcee said.

"You've been reading the wrong book then," Dusk shrugged.

"And mischief means pranks," Arcee continued.

"No it doesn't," Dusk replied defensively.

Jack narrowed his eyes activating his X-Ray vision "And pranks means…oh my god, you shrunk Ultra Magnus," Jack said, and he burst into laughter.

"How…" she started, before realization dawned on her face.

"YOU X-RAYED ME!" she shouted.

"You were hiding something!" Jack retorted.

"Wait, you shrank… the commander?" Arcee asked interrupting their shouting match.

Dusk nodded and pulled the commander out of her pocket. He was roughly the length of her middle finger and about as wide as her middle, ring, and index finger. He cursed at Dusk in a high pitched chipmunk-ess, but only Jack could hear the cursing and thought it best not to relay what he was saying.

Arcee let out a howl of laughter at seeing the commander "How did you manage to… the mass-shifter?" she asked.

"Mass-Shifter," Dusk replied.

"I didn't even know it could make someone this small," Jack said looking at the tiny Ultra Magnus. The commander had his arms crossed as Dusk held him by a small piece of armor on his back.

"Just about any size would work, and it should work on humans too," Dusk said.

"That so?" Arcee asked in wonder. Jack flicked his eyes to her nervously wondering what she had set her mind on. When Arcee set her mind to something… the results were interesting to say the least.

"So you just going to leave him shrunk or are you going to make him play pretty princess tea party with a bunch of dolls?" Jack asked.

Ultra Magnus let out another round of high pitched squeaking, directing most of his fury towards Jack instead of Dusk. Jack had to resist the urge to laugh at the fact that Magnus believed himself… intimidating at his current stature.

"Eh," Dusk shrugged, "As tempting as that is…we need him on the battlefield. Kara, can you get the Mass Shifter over here please?"

The Kryptonian girl nodded and brought the relic over. Dusk set it to restore the Commander's original size and put Magnus on the ground so he wouldn't crush her hand when he returned to his original size. When he finally got back to normal size…he glared down at Dusk.

"I ought to confine you to the Brig, Halfling," he growled.

"Eh, been there, done that…doesn't do anything but make me a little bored," she replied, waving dismissively, "And you can't squish me either…no harming humans."

"You're only half human," Magnus pointed out.

"So?" she demanded, "Still counts!"

He growled to himself and stormed off. Dusk crossed her arms, obviously very pleased with herself.

"Ok, my pranking need is satisfied…let's go have fun!" she announced.

"Weren't you having fun pranking?" Kara asked.

"Oh, that is just part of my job," Dusk replied, "All work and no play makes Dusk a very dull Halfling,"

Jack shivered. If Dusk only considered pranking a job… He was terrified to wonder what she thought was fun…

_The Next Day…_

Jack woke with a splitting head ache the next day, the events of the party a blur. No one had broken open the high grade last night, but given the events of last night, everyone was going to be in the equivalent of a hang ver.

Jack himself had pretty much gone into a sugar fed frenzy later into the party when June wasn't looking for it and now he was paying for it. Apparently if one goes most of their life without sugar and suddenly devours several pounds of candy the results are less than pleasant.

Jack felt a weight on his chest and looked to see that Arcee was sleeping on him still in human form. They were both sleeping on the couch, and her jacket and boots lay on the ground beside them. Jack was suddenly very thankful his mother was more than likely asleep.

Jack nudged Arcee gently and the femme groaned "Arcee," he whispered. Nothing.

He nudged her again and she weakly slapped his hand away. Jack inwardly sighed, Arcee was not going to wake up easily, when suddenly an idea occurred to him. He put both hands on her ribs, and began tickling her.

Arcee's eyes shot open in surprise "J-jack!" she half-yelled, half-giggled.

"Going to wake up now?" he asked as he continued to tickle the squirming femme.

"Y-yes, j-just stop!" she pleaded while laughing.

Jack stopped and her laughs died quickly. Arcee rolled off her boyfriend and lay on the floor panting slightly "What was _that_," she asked.

"It's called tickling," Jack explained rolling over to look at her over the edge of the couch "it's something humans do from time to time as a sign of affection," he said with a smile.

"Humans…have strange ways of showing affection," she said as she regained her breath.

"You have no idea," Jack said as he got off the couch and examined the chaos of the base. A good chunk of the streamers were torn down and scattered everywhere, making the base look like a piñata massacre had taken place. Scattered balloons and trash littered the floor and Jack saw several bots and humans asleep through the main area.

He looked up to see that Dusk was hanging on a beam overhead asleep on her stomach, her wings drooping to either side. Kara was sleeping in mid-air similar to Jack when his flight powers first came into being, and somehow Ultimus was in mach form sleeping upside down against a wall.

He wasn't exactly sure how that happened, but it would be an interesting story for everyone to hear that was for sure. He heard a snore and turned to see an odd sight. Ultra Magnus and one of the Wheeljack's had fallen asleep together and were embraced in what was going to be one weird position when the two woke up.

"Arcee, check this out," he said helping her to her feet.

Arcee shivered as her bare feet touched the cold concrete "Are humans always this sensitive?" she asked.

"Why do you think we were clothes," was his reply.

"I can think of a few reasons," she said with a coy smile.

Jack let out a nervous cough "A-anyway," he stuttered trying to keep his hormones in check "look at the commander and Wheeljack," he said pointing to the two.

Arcee let out a laugh at the site of the two "If only we had Miko's camera phone," she said.

Jack nodded his agreement when he felt Arcee brush a finger on his shoulder "You know, we could always find somewhere a little more… private," she said as she got closer.

"I…ugh," Jack said his brain shutting down again. Arcee was about to press her lips to his, when Kara let out a yelp and fell to the floor with a thud.

The mood dead, Jack made his way to Kara, and Arcee put her boots and jacket back on. There was no telling what her Cybertronian form would look like if she was returned to normal without them.

"You alright?" Jack asked as he helped Kara to her feet.

"Yeah," she said, "Just wasn't expecting to… wake up thirty feet up," she admitted.

"I had a similar experience, don't worry you'll figure it out," he said confidently.

"Yes but first you are going to help me clean up this mess," Elita said as she walked in.

Jack let out a sigh. It was going to be a long day…

_Later…_

Jack, Arcee, Kara, June, and Wheeljack stood in front of the portal that blazed to life. Their time in this dimension was over. There had been ups, there had been downs, but now it was time for them to go home. With that came the hardest part of leaving, saying goodbye.

"Well, it's been fun folks, but this Wrecker's got to head on home," Wheeljack said and walked through the portal.

"Well that was blunt," Kara commented.

"It's Wheeljack, bluntness is in his programming," Arcee responded, now back to her original size and form. Jack would be lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed, but he was glad to have the old Arcee back.

Junes goodbye was short and sweet, simply thanking everyone for their help, and looking forward to seeing them again. She walked through the portal next, leaving Jack, Kara and Arcee.

They all said their goodbyes in turn until they came to the last two, Dusk and Ultimus. Kara quickly said good bye to Ultimus before directing her attention to Dusk.

Kara suddenly embraced the Halfling in a hug "Thank you," she said quietly "For everything," she said.

"No….problem," Dusk squeaked "Kara….you're…crushing…me," she said.

Kara immediately let go "Oh, sorry I forget sometimes," she said rubbing the back of her head, a habit she had picked up from Jack.

"It's fine," Dusk said "Just be careful out there, got it?" she said.

Kara nodded and stepped back allowing Jack to say his goodbyes. He made his way to Dusk first.

"So…this really is goodbye," he said, Dusk nodding, "Can't tell what I'll miss more, the base, or your pranks," Jack said with a half smile.

"Oh don't worry about that Kal, I've been teaching Kara in the art of pranking, you're not getting rid of me that easy," she replied.

"Great," Jack muttered before continuing "You know we never did get around to that second sparring match," he said.

Dusk shrugged "Next time we meet," she promised.

"And maybe next time you won't trick me," Jack said.

Dusk smiled "Don't count on it Superboy," she said.

Jack rolled his eyes and made his way to the last person, Ultimus "So… how long until you celebrate the fact that I'm gone?" Jack asked.

Ultimus raised a brow "Really?"

"Well, you haven't been the friendliest person here, even after we saved Dusk," he pointed out.

Ultimus seemed to narrow his gaze slightly, before Jack stuck his hand out "But I hope that when the time comes you and I can work together again as allies… and as friends," he said.

Ultimus looked at his hand for several seconds before shaking it "Count on it," he said.

Jack smiled and turned walking to the portal stopping at the edge. He turned around "You guys ever need any help, just give me a call, I'm just a dimension over," he said.

He turned back around, and walked through the portal with Arcee and Kara. Over the course of the past week, he'd fought off seekers attacked crazed cycloptic scientist, discovered his long lost sister, saved the Earth from Zod, and confirmed his relationship with Arcee. Now a week later, Jack could finally say…that he, was home…

**A/N: And so, it comes to a close. This crossover, heck this story has been a ton of fun to write everyone. None of it would have been possible without the help of my fans and suggestions as well. As for the story itself, this is the end of my story Another Type of Alien. No more chapters for this one, it's over now… But it's not completely over. I will be writing a sequel story as well, under the name, Another Type of Alien Book Two: Assuming the Mantle, and it shall be longer and more diverse than this one. Until I start it though, I will be focusing my skills on Son of Primus and Techno-Organic Synthesis as well as a new story focusing on my first OC. Remember, review with critique, and Pm me and Elhini for plot ideas. This crossover might be over, but it won't be the last one either… **


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